The national team is one step closer to guaranteeing its return to another European football championship. This Friday’s opponent is Slovakia and three points will resolve the issue in the Dragão.
Contrary to tradition, this time it seems that Portugal is not condemned to be held accountable in the final stretch of qualification for the European Championship in Germany, in 2024.
In fact, even in qualifying for the European and World Cups in groups without major opponents, the national team has shown a certain willingness to complicate what seems simple and has even become a “client” of the play-offs, in those who, Say if it went well for you. But the risk is there.
Now the case has been very different. Portugal has six victories in as many days, which gives it 18 points, five more than second place (precisely Slovakia) and eight more than third place (the surprising Luxembourg).
Since the top two finishers in each group qualify directly, Portugal’s ranking calculations must be made in relation to the current third in the table. Therefore, if the team beats Slovakia in the Dragão match, as expected, even if Luxembourg wins in Iceland in this round, Portugal’s eight-point lead will remain at the start of the last three rounds.
In fact, there are still nine points up for discussion, but Portugal could even lose the remaining challenges and that would no longer take away its presence in the Euro Cup. The Luxembourg-Slovakia match must still be played next week and this is a duel in which… both cannot win. Therefore, one or the other would end up falling by the wayside in the race to 2024.
However, the Portuguese ambition at this point, despite the fact that most of the performances are far from what the team knows and can do, is to complete this cycle only with victories. Nothing impossible to achieve if we remember that this is one of the most accessible groups in which Portugal has participated in any qualifying phase.
If there were any doubts, it is enough to point out that Portugal has already scored 24 goals and still has not conceded a goal. In addition, they achieved their biggest historical defeat against Luxembourg: 9-0. Not being able to participate in the next Euro Cup is unthinkable, because the qualitative difference between Portugal and the rest is such that this scenario is not even considered. And, in Dragão, there is every reason to believe that the matter can be closed once and for all.
Source: TSF
