Portugal – Iceland: Portugal Clinch Perfect Record With Routine Victory (2-0)
Roberto Martinez and his inspired Portugal side will enter next year’s Euro 2024 on the back of ten straight wins and a picture-perfect record in the qualifiers. Their last game of this calendar year concluded with a straightforward victory over an uninspired Iceland side, who seemed devoid of ideas.
Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan.
Nine games, nine wins, thirty-four goals scored, and two conceded. This has been Roberto Martinez’s record since he was appointed as Portugal’s head coach following the country’s devastating defeat to Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.
Martinez himself took over the role after a disastrous World Cup campaign with Belgium. Nevertheless, he had a massive challenge ahead of him, as Portugal were desperate for someone who could bring their talented yet troubled stars together. That he has certainly done, as they have cruised to the Euro 2024 with a perfect record in the qualifiers, and a win over Iceland might be the icing on the cake.
On the other hand, since their impressive showings in the Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Iceland have fallen short of their past glory, missing out on qualification for subsequent major tournaments.
Currently positioned fourth in the standings behind Portugal, Slovakia, and Luxembourg, Iceland find themselves out of contention yet again. While there exists a slim chance through the Nations League playoffs, the predominant expectation is another bout of disappointment in failing to qualify. Nonetheless, they hoped to end the campaign with a memorable performance.
After picking a brave and attacking lineup during their victory over Liechtenstein, Martinez went back to the tried . . .
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