The Portugal Euro 2024 squad may have topped Group F, but their last 16 showing have tempered expectations.
Initially one of the favourites to win Euro 2024, Portugal have stuttered in their past two games. While they were already confirmed as group winners before their final match against Georgia, a 2-0 defeat is still a blot on their record - especially when considering the quality of starting XI they still put out.
Then, in the last 16 against Slovenia, Cristiano Ronaldo's travails in front of goal dominated the headlines, with the 39-year-old still having not scored at the tournament as the game ended 0-0 after extra time. He even missed a penalty in extra time, but redeemed himself as Portugal won 3-0 on penalties.
Things did start well for Roberto Martinez's side, too. They got off to winning ways in their opening group match against Czech Republic. Francisco Conceicao popped up with the winner in the final minutes, before Roberto Martinez's asserted their dominance in their second match against Turkey. A 3-0 victory, with goals from Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes, as well as an own goal from Turkey, handed Portugal the win.
Regardless, Portugal won against Slovenia and are in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. They will face France in the last eight - a difficult opponent, though one which has also struggled so far in Germany. Beat Les Bleus, and either Spain or Germany await in the semis. If they're to reach the final, they're going to have to do it the hard way.
But while Cristiano Ronaldo isn't up to full speed (well, maybe he is, but it's not quite up to standard), the exerienced squad stacked full of quality still contains the likes of Pepe, Bruno Fernandes, Bernado Silva, Joao Felix, Rafel Leao and Ruben Dias.
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Portugal Euro 2024 squad
Portugal Euro 2024 squad: The final 26-man team
GK: Rui Patricio (Roma)
GK: Jose Sa (Wolves)
GK: Diogo Costa (Porto)
DF: Nelson Semedo (Wolves)
DF: Antonio Silva (Benfica)
DF: Danilo Pereira (PSG)
DF: Joao Cancelo (Barcelona)
DF: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
DF: Pepe (Porto)
DF: Goncalo Inacio (Sporting Lisbon)
DF: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)
DF: Nuno Mendes (PSG)
MF: Joao Palhinha (Fulham)
MF: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
MF: Ruben Neves (Al Hilal)
MF: Vitinha (PSG)
MF: Joao Neves (Benfica)
MF: Matheus Nunes (Manchester City)
MF: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
FW: Goncalo Ramos (PSG)
FW: Joao Felix (Barcelona)
FW: Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
FW: Francisco Conceicao (Porto)
FW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)
FW: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
FW: Pedro Neto (Wolves)
Portugal Euro 2024 squad numbers
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Portugal Euro 2024 squad numbers
No.
Player
Pos
1
Rui Patricio
GK
2
Nelson Semedo
DF
3
Pepe
DF
4
Ruben Dias
DF
5
Diogo Dalot
DF
6
Joao Palhinha
MF
7
Cristiano Ronaldo
FW
8
Bruno Fernandes
MF
9
Goncalo Ramos
FW
10
Bernardo Silva
FW
11
Joao Felix
FW
12
Jose Sa
GK
13
Danilo Pereira
DF
14
Goncalo Inacio
DF
15
Joao Neves
MF
16
Matheus Nunes
MF
17
Rafael Leao
FW
18
Ruben Neves
MF
19
Nuno Mendes
DF
20
Joao Cancelo
DF
21
Diogo Jota
FW
22
Diogo Costa
GK
23
Vitinha
MF
24
Antonio Silva
DF
25
Pedro Neto
FW
26
Francisco Conceicao
FW
Portugal fixtures and results
June 18: Portugal 2-1 Czech Republic, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany June 22: Turkey 0-3 Portugal, Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany June 26: Georgia 2-0 Portugal, Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
July 1: Portugal 0-0 (3-0 pens) Slovenia, Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany
Portugal Euro 2024 top scorers
1 goal: Sergio Conceicao, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes
Portugal Euro 2024 yellow cards and suspensions
1 yellow: Francisco Conceicao, Joao Palhinha, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto, Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo
Portugal manager: Roberto Martinez
Roberto Martinez, Portugal manager (Image credit: Getty Images)
Roberto Martinez quickly made friends with his communication skills, but it is more than a charm offensive that has seduced local media and fans.
The Spanish ex- Belgium boss has not been afraid to experiment with tactics or personnel, an increasingly cohesive outfit visibly improving. He turns 51 the day before the final, too…
Portugal's star player
Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes will prove integral to Portugal's successs (Image credit: Getty Images)
At a time when his club form has wavered, Bruno Fernandes has been consistently exceptional for his country.
The 29-year-old is the Selecao's true leader and outshines both Bernardo Silva and Joao Felix, erstwhile pretenders to Cristiano Ronaldo's crown. Portugal need that game-changing creativity to continue if they want to go deep.
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Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
