Portugal (Andy Brassell, @UEFAcomAndyB)
The Portuguese press are feeling a little nervy after last night's surprise defeat by Turkey in Lisbon, in the final preparation game for UEFA EURO 2012. O Jogo's headline is 'It's going to take some work,' and the newspaper's front page also notes the wins registered by Group B rivals Denmark and Netherlands, plus the return of the influential Bastian Schweinsteiger from injury for Germany for Saturday's opener in Lviv.
There is no panic in the camp itself, however. Paulo Bento put the result in perspective in his post-match interview with Portugal's national broadcaster RTP. "We were the better team, except in terms of finishing. The game never went as we deserved," said the coach. Raul Meireles agreed. "In football, the better team doesn't always win," said the Chelsea FC midfielder. Bento affirmed that the squad remains "confident in the value of what we're working towards" and pledged that Portugal will play with "no fear" against Joachim Löw's side.
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Rank | Team | W/D/L | Pts |
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Cities & Stadiums
The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments
Year | Winners | Runner-up | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Spain | Germany | Russia / Turkey |
2004 | Greece | Portugal | Netherlands / Czech Republic |
2000 | France | Italy | Netherlands / Portugal |
1996 | Germany | Czech Republic | France / England |
1992 | Denmark | Germany | Netherlands / Sweden |
1988 | Netherlands | Soviet Union | Italy / West Germany |
1984 | France | Spain | Denmark / Portugal |
1980 | West Germany | Belgium | Czechoslovakia |
1976 | Czechoslovakia | West Germany | Netherlands |
1972 | West Germany | Soviet Union | Belgium |
1968 | Italy | Yugoslavia | England |
1964 | Spain | Soviet Union | Hungary |
1960 | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | Czechoslovakia |