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29.02.2012 » Poland 0-0 Portugal. Still a lot to adjust before the EURO 2012
Portugal were held to a goalless draw against Poland last night, in a friendly game played in Warsaw. The game's main purpose was to help both teams preparing for this Summer's EURO 2012, but truth is, both sides struggled to show their best form. Portugal created several good chances to score the opener during the 1st half, but lacked the focus to hit the back of the net. After the break, Poland got better but also failed to score, forcing the outcome of this match to be a somehow disappointing 0-0 draw. Cristiano Ronaldo got subbed near the 75th minute, since there was probably an agreement made between Paulo Bento and José Mourinho, in order to give some rest to the Real Madrid star player.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Poland vs Portugal
Poland 0-0 Portugal goals and highlights:
As usual in many other friendly matches, last night's game wasn't played at a very fast rhythm and therefore, the competitive aggressiveness levels were lower than normal. However, there might be some bad news for Real Madrid and José Mourinho, as Fábio Coentrão picked an injury near the 20th minute of the 1st half. The Portuguese left-back complained about some sort of muscle injury, but post-match reports are still inconclusive and therefore, the real extent and severity of the damage done will only be known in the upcoming days.
Portugal started the game with Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Hugo Almeida upfront, in what will most likely be the chosen attacking trio for the EURO 2012. During the first 45 minutes, Paulo Bento's men got close to goal for quite a few times, but they've always failed to beat Arsenal's goalkeeper, Szczesny. One of the most active Portuguese players has been Nani, who had at least 3 good goal scoring chances, but just like the rest of his teammates, he couldn't find a way to get past Szczesny.
Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't as active as he usually is, but he still found enough space to be close to celebrate the first goal scored in the new Polish National Stadium, from a counter-attack play that took place near the 39th minute. However, Szczesny opposed with a great save and the Portuguese captain had to settle with a corner kick.
The second half was played at a slower pace and the fact that many players are involved in official games for their clubs, some of those scheduled for the next 2 or 3 days, probably help explaining it. Not only that, but also the 11 subs made during the remaining 45 minutes, didn't allow none of the sides to put their best performance on the pitch and the goalless draw scenario started gaining shape very quickly. Nonetheless, Poland still showed a better attitude when compared to the game they presented in the 1st half, but a solid performance from Sporting CP goalkeeper, Rui Patrício, never allow the Polish side to get the lead.
Cristiano Ronaldo got replaced by Besiktas player, Ricardo Quaresma, near the 75th minute, but there will be no reason to speculate about anything unusual, since given the circumstances of this being a friendly game and Real Madrid hosting Espanyol next Sunday, this was just a normal proceedure for sparing Ronaldo for a few minutes. José Mourinho will certainly appreciate this Paulo Bento's decision...
Portugal line-up vs Poland:
Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Defenders:
Fábio Coentrão, Pepe, Bruno Alves, João Pereira
Midfielders:
Miguel Veloso, João Moutinho, Raúl Meireles
Attackers: Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Hugo Almeida
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Poland
|
vs
|
Portugal
|
0 |
Goals |
0 |
0 |
Assists |
0 |
12 |
Shots |
13 |
5 |
Shots on goal |
6 |
5 |
Corner kicks |
7 |
11 |
Fouls commited |
16 |
0 |
Yellow cards |
1 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
36% |
Ball possession |
64% |
Real Madrid next game will be for La Liga, against Espanyol in the 4th of March 2012. In the meanwhile you may watch Benfica vs Porto, Barcelona vs Sporting Gijon, Liverpool vs Arsenal and Manchester City vs Bolton, all matches that will be played this Saturday and available from our soccer live streams section. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be on the line-up when Real Madrid hosts Espanyol this Sunday.
Real Madrid vs Espanyol kick-off time (04-03-2012):
Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 03:30
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+1: 21:30
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+0: 20:30
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-2: 18:30
New York (United States) | GMT-5: 15:30
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-8: 12:30
Beijing (China) | GMT-8: 12:30
Sources: ronaldo7.net / record.pt
