Five things to take away from Portugal vs Germany

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo vs Jerome Boateng

This was a battle within a battle as Jerome Boateng was entrusted with what many would argue is the most difficult job in the world, that of marking Cristiano Ronaldo. But the Bayern defender, who of course also faced the Portuguese ace during the Champions League semi finals, was up for the task and put in a brilliant performance. Ronaldo tried his step overs to bamboozle Boateng but the defender did well to keep his eyes on the ball and never went to ground. To be fair to Ronaldo he did get the better of the German full back a couple of times; on one occasion he gained an extra yard over him and managed to whip in a cross, but there was nobody to meet it.

#2 Fabio Coentrao is definitely one of the best left backs around

Fabio Coentrao was undoubtedly Portugal’s best player on the pitch and for many, the man of the match as well. The Real Madrid player was outstanding last evening and it’s a real shame that he had to end up on the losing side. The contest between him and Thomas Muller was an engaging one to say the least. He did exceedingly well to stay close to Muller and made darting forays into the German half every time he smelled a chance. Energy in abundance, loads of speed and a smart footballing mind – Coentrao has it in him to become the world’s best left back.

#3 Portugal are no longer a treat to watch

Gone are the days when you could just sit back and enjoy Portugal play. The days of Luiz Felipe Scolari and Carlos Queiroz, when Portugal were a treat to watch, and their good attacking play, are things of the past as Paulo Bento has transformed them into a well-organized defensive unit who are more keen on preventing goals than scoring them. The players executed the plans to perfection – well, almost. Barring the goal, Pepe and Alves did a brilliant job in negating the German attack. Meireles, Veloso and Moutinho tucked inside and make it very difficult for Germany to find any space whatsoever to find a pass into any of the attackers’ feet. Even Postiga dropped to midfield and Portugal had ten men behind the ball most of the time.

#4 Neuer can win Germany matches

The big Bayern goalkeeper remained mostly untested throughout the match, except when Ronaldo tried from a distance. Neuer had to get down low to his right side and stop the shot, a difficult one since it was moving in the air. But the save to deny Portugal substitute Varela was a top one and effectively helped Germany to bag all three points last evening. Nelson Oliveira ran into a through ball and slid it perfectly for Varela to score, only for Neuer to come to the German rescue. Neuer, who is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, made himself big and came out of his lines in an instant to narrow down the angle for Varela, who only managed to hit it straight at the goalkeeper. This save, in the final minutes of the match, once again reinforced the fact that Neuer can win matches for Germany.

#5 Portugal lack a quality striker

Paulo Bento has employed a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Postiga playing the solitary striker on his own. But the Real Zaragoza player struggled throughout the seventy minutes that he was on the pitch, trying to cope with stronger defenders like Badstuber and Hummels. Portugal are playing a counter-attacking style of football and hence it is extremely important for them to have a striker who can hold on to the ball efficiently as well compete for the aerial balls. Young Nelson Oliviera, who came on as a substitute and who is believed to be on Madrid’s radar, showed glimpses of his ability, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Bento started with this young man ahead of Postiga. If not, Portuguese players may well have the privilege of catching the earliest possible flight back home.