Portugal feels heat
EURO 2004 HOST UNDER IMMENSE PRESSURE TO PERFORM WELL
By KEN FIDLIN, TORONTO SUN
FOR A DECADE or more, they have been hailed as Portugal's "Golden Generation" of footballers. Jorge Costa, Luis Figo and Rui Costa are the marquee players, but those stars have, in support, a brilliant cast of younger players -- Fernando Couto, Paletta and Nuno Valente, for example -- long predicted to capture a major soccer championship. So far, it hasn't happened.
There is pressure on virtually every team at Euro 2004, given the soccer-mad culture in that part of the world but nowhere is at as palpable as in the host country.
With an impatient public and a growing cynicism among the game's opinion-makers, Portugal's national team stands at an important crossroads today, hours ahead of its Euro 2004 opener against Greece.
At the 2002 World Cup, Portugal was both unlucky and poorly prepared, stuck in a preliminary grouping against the surprising U.S. and the overwhelming fan favourites, the South Koreans. They lost to both countries and went home shockingly early.
As hosts of the European championship, there is a sense that it's now or never for the Portuguese if they are to fulfil their promise as a championship side.
"We will prepare properly this time," says Figo, the 2001 world player of the year who has lived and worked abroad for the past eight years, yet saves his emotions for those games when he captains his homeland.
"We must. At the World Cup, we didn't. It will be better this time. We would have to be idiots to fall into the same errors this time.
"The fans will be excited and cheering us on at first. If results are good, then great. But if they're bad, I just hope the fans are tolerant and stick with us when it gets tough."
With apologies to Greece, the home side couldn't have hoped for a better draw. One British writer has described the Greek team as "a minor irritant which self-destructs on request." The Greeks did qualify for this tournament by winning six games in a row, indicating it would be a mistake for the Portuguese to look past them. But many of their better players are injured or just recently recovered from injuries. If Figo, et al, tend to business, it will be no contest.
"We have to get through the group and then anything can happen," Figo, 31, said.
At Euro 2000, the Portuguese were well positioned, playing well, but came unglued at a penalty decision during the semi-finals, lost their cool and the game. That lack of discipline is unlikely now that Luis Felipe Scolari, who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup, is the coach. Big Phil, as he's known, will demand, and receive, a disciplined effort from his team.
After today's game against Greece, Portugal gets another break by facing Russia in its second game. Their third game, against arch-rival Spain, will be a war to decide who faces either France or England, if things go according to form, in the second round.
The pressure on this talented side is enormous. The expectations have been growing for a decade, without resolution. Figo resists the insinuation that this group has not lived up to its potential.
"What our generation has done is bring respect and prestige back to Portugal, something that was missing," he said. "We've qualified for virtually every European championship and World Cup, when Portugal hadn't done so for years. We've returned pride to the country."
That pride will explode in a celebration for the ages if their heroes can deliver the performances long predicted for them. Next to the World Cup itself, this is the most important tournament on the soccer calendar. The confluence of home-field advantage, talent and expectations make Portugal one of the favourites.
What happens during the next three weeks will determine how this so-called Golden Generation is viewed through the long lens of history.
"There is such passion in Portugal," Figo said. "The people love football and live it very intensely. It's going to be spectacular, a massive party. It is a huge responsibility, but it's also an immense source of pride for us."
