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Fans recently reacted to former Portugal boss Fernando Santos getting sacked by Poland. The news comes after their 2-0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying defeat at Albania on Monday, September 11.
The Euro 2016-winning coach had taken charge of Poland after he was fired by Portugal following their quarterfinal exit to Morocco at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The 68-year-old finds himself out of job after just six games. After starting his reign with a 3-1 loss at Czech Republic in their Euro 2024 qualifying opener, the Poles beat Albania 1-0 at home.
Santos' men beat Germany by the same scoreline in a friendly in June but slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Moldova in the Euro qualifiers. They beat Moldova 2-0 at home in the ongoing international break. The loss at Albania proved to be the final straw that broke the camel's back, as Santos was relieved from his job.
The loss means Poland are no longer in control of their own destiny. They're fourth in Group E with only three games to go and need other results to go their way to finish in the top two.
Fans took to social media to react to Santos' sacking, with one deriding the manager as a Ronaldo assistant.
"He was just an assistant to Ronaldo," the fan wrote.
Another fan opined that Ronaldo was the only reason Santos was considered a good manager.
"OFFICIAL: Fernando Santos has been SACKED by Poland after just 6 games. Fernando Santos was never a good manager. It was Cristiano Ronaldo who made the world believe that he was. Karma has done its job," they wrote.
Here are some of the top reactions on X, formerly called Twitter:
At the moment, The Eagles would qualify for the Euro playoffs because of their national league standing, as reported by the BBC.
How have Portugal fared in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying?
Contrary to Poland, Portugal are flying in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. They have a perfect record after six games, with Roberto Martinez's men scoring 24 times in their qualifying Group J without conceding.
The Euro 2016 champions kicked off their campaign with a 4-0 home win over Liechtenstein before thumping Luxembourg 6-0 away. Portugal then beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 at home before Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner in his 200th international game in a 1-0 win at Iceland.
Martinez and Co. next won 1-0 at Slovakia before overwhelming a hapless Luxembourg side 9-0 at home, despite playing without the suspended Ronaldo. The 38-year-old has had a stellar campaign, netting five times in as many games.
Portugal will seal their place at next year's Germany finals if they beat Slovakia at home next month and Luxembourg do not win at Iceland.
