Portugal Soccer

The Portuguese Football Association, the head of Portugal soccer, ripped Premier League team Chelsea for announcing that Luiz Felipe Scolari had accepted their coaching offer during UEFA Euro 2008.  President Gilberto Madail stated, “I know Scolari had nothing to do with it and I was surprised, not by the appointment - because Scolari is a great coach - but at the timing chosen.”  I have to agreee, though complaining about it now sounds like sour grapes after yesterday’s loss.  What was Chelsea thinking?  We know that England was not in the Euro 2008 soccer championship, but do their national team’s deficiencies warrant a complete disregard for those country’s actually worthy of playing?  Give me a break, Chelsea!

Portugal is out of the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament.  It’s easy to blame the coach, given the current status of Luiz Felipe Scolari, but one has to wonder what kind of defense was Portugal trying to offer during two free kicks that were defended like a poor US high school soccer team — particularly Ronaldo’s defense on the free kick goal in the first half.  What a disappointing exit for the Portugal soccer team, not much more to say.  

A terrible start for Portugal in Quarterfinal UEFA Euro 2008 action was somewhat mitigated when Nuno Gomes scored off of a saved shot by Ronaldo making the score 2-1 Germany at the half.  Half way through the first period, the German soccer team looked like they were going to run away with it with 2 goals in less than five minutes.  The first came from Bastian Schweinsteiger who scored off of a cross from leading scorer Lukas Podolski.  The second goal came minutes later off of the head of Miroslav Klose who slipped past a sleeping Ronaldo - someone needs to tell Ronaldo that this isn’t the NBA, need to play some defense buddy.