Portugal have lost front man Hugo Almeida and defender Fabio Coentrao to injuries in their first group game. The duo were both injured in their opening World Cup match against a strong German outfit that ran out easy 4-0 winners against a Portuguese team lead by an invisible Cristiano Ronaldo.
Not only with Coentrao miss the USA game, but the Portuguese player is out for the entire World Cup.
It hasn’t been a dream start for Portugal’s World Cup campaign as front man Hugo Almeida hobbled off in the first half. They then lost full-back Coentrao to a suspected groin strain midway through the second period. Both players likely will miss the remaining group games, including Sunday’s game against the United States. To compound their woeful start, Pepe was sent off yesterday after head-butting Germany’s star man Thomas Muller.
The pressure is now well and truly on Bento as he prepares his diminished squad for their next game against a USA team that will go into the match full of belief after their late victory against Ghana. Can he rally the boys to produce the victory they need or will the World Cup be short journey for Ronaldo?
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