Portugal end Euro preparation in style

AFP, LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal warmed-up for Euro 2016 with a 7-0 mauling of Estonia at Lisbon’s Stadium of Light on Wednesday.
The Real Madrid star hit the target twice in nine minutes late in the first half.
“Today we showed that the team is doing well on all levels. We scored seven goals but that doesn’t mean so much. We have to keep our feet on the ground,” Ronaldo said after the game.
“It’s a difficult competition to win and we’ll take it match by match.”
Ricardo Quaresma who started alongside Ronaldo also scored twice to add to a recent gem against Norway, with an own goal, and strikes from Danilo and Eder completing the rout.
Portugal beat Norway 3-0 in a first warm up game but were then beaten 1-0 by England on Thursday, albeit without Ronaldo and Pepe.
Ronaldo has already distinguished himself as his country’s leading goalscorer of all time. Yet, he has yet to leave his mark on a major international tournament.
At 31 and with and a soft draw which sees Portugal face Austria, Hungary and tournament debutants Iceland in Group F, Ronaldo is unlikely to get a better chance to shine on the international stage.
 Meanwhile, with the rare experience of having coached all of Portugal’s big three Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon, Fernando Santos has returned from exile in Greece to try and win the country’s first international tournament at Euro 2016.
Even a looming touchline ban, reduced from eight games to two on appeal, from an outburst at officials as Greece bowed out the 2014 World Cup on penalties to Costa Rica did not dissuade the Portuguese Football Federation from hiring the 61-year-old.
That decision looks more than justified as Santos has delivered seven wins from the seven competitive games he has overseen since replacing Paulo Bento after Portugal lost their first European Championship qualifier at home to Albania.
Santos’s principal task, like that of his predecessors Bento, Carlos Queiroz and Luis Felipe Scolari before, is to get the best out of three-time world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo on the international stage.
Ronaldo has already distinguished himself as his country’s leading goalscorer of all time. Yet, he has yet to leave his mark on a major international tournament in the way that has seen him score over 500 goals at club level for Real Madrid and Manchester United.
At 31 and with and a soft draw which sees Portugal face Austria, Hungary and tournament debutants Iceland in Group F, Ronaldo is unlikely to get a better chance to shine on the international stage.
And Santos believes the key is to take some of the load off Ronaldo by building the team around him.
“I am looking for a solution to strengthen Cristiano with the characteristics of my players,” said Santos.
“You cannot either ask Cristiano to play as a winger in defence because, he makes such an effort attacking, being the best player in the world, the most prolific goal scorer, he cannot behave like a defender.”

Portugal end Euro preparation in style

AFP, LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal warmed-up for Euro 2016 with a 7-0 mauling of Estonia at Lisbons Stadium of Light on Wednesday. The Real Madrid star hit the target twice in nine minutes late in the first half. Today we showed that the team is doing well on all levels. We scored seven goals but that doesnt mean so much. We have to keep our feet on the ground, Ronaldo said after the game. Its a difficult competition to win and well take it match by match. Ricardo Quaresma who started alongside Ronaldo also scored twice to add to a recent gem against Norway, with an own goal, and strikes from Danilo and Eder completing the rout. Portugal beat Norway 3-0 in a first warm up game but were then beaten 1-0 by England on Thursday, albeit without Ronaldo and Pepe. Ronaldo has already distinguished himself as his countrys leading goalscorer of all time. Yet, he has yet to leave his mark on a major international tournament. At 31 and with and a soft draw which sees Portugal face Austria, Hungary and tournament debutants Iceland in Group F, Ronaldo is unlikely to get a better chance to shine on the international stage. Meanwhile, with the rare experience of having coached all of Portugals big three Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon, Fernando Santos has returned from exile in Greece to try and win the countrys first international tournament at Euro 2016. Even a looming touchline ban, reduced from eight games to two on appeal, from an outburst at officials as Greece bowed out the 2014 World Cup on penalties to Costa Rica did not dissuade the Portuguese Football Federation from hiring the 61-year-old. That decision looks more than justified as Santos has delivered seven wins from the seven competitive games he has overseen since replacing Paulo Bento after Portugal lost their first European Championship qualifier at home to Albania. Santoss principal task, like that of his predecessors Bento, Carlos Queiroz and Luis Felipe Scolari before, is to get the best out of three-time world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo on the international stage. Ronaldo has already distinguished himself as his countrys leading goalscorer of all time. Yet, he has yet to leave his mark on a major international tournament in the way that has seen him score over 500 goals at club level for Real Madrid and Manchester United. At 31 and with and a soft draw which sees Portugal face Austria, Hungary and tournament debutants Iceland in Group F, Ronaldo is unlikely to get a better chance to shine on the international stage. And Santos believes the key is to take some of the load off Ronaldo by building the team around him. I am looking for a solution to strengthen Cristiano with the characteristics of my players, said Santos. You cannot either ask Cristiano to play as a winger in defence because, he makes such an effort attacking, being the best player in the world, the most prolific goal scorer, he cannot behave like a defender.