World Cup Corner

There are several more contenders for the 2006 world championship title in Germany than many may have thought. In fact, many are claiming there is a “new world order” that deserves to be recognized. Some of the teams being considered more closely include Greece, Turkey, and South Korea. Portugal is also being looked at as a possibility when it comes to winning the cup, though most people think they pose little threat to actually win the entire cup. After all, history has demonstrated that the team has not been able to capitalize on its assets and bring home a win.

In 2004, Greece won the European honors and Turkey and South Korea have also managed to make it to the semi-finals in 2002. Another dark horse that is starting to gain more recognition over the past few years is Portugal, despite the fact that the 2006 competition represents only the fourth time Portugal has participated in the World Cup finals. The first Portugal win came in 1966 in England and it is still considered to be the best main event performance for Portugal.

Before their excellent 1966 performance, they had been in a difficult group that pitted them against two of the most prestigious teams from the decade before. In 1958 and 1962, Brazil had captured world titles. In addition, Hungary was having an amazing period of football at the time. Despite the fact that they hadn’t actually won a championship during this period of time, the Hungary team from that era is still regarded as one of the most revolutionary in the history of the game.

Although Hungary wasn’t quite the juggernaut it used to be by the time 1966 came around, the fact that Portugal was able to win with a score of 3 to 1 at this time was quite an achievement. It was also here that Eusebio made his first goal while helping in a 3 to 0 win over Bulgaria. Eusebio added two more goals to his record while helping Portugal achieve a 3 to 1 victory over Brazil. Although some of the defensive moves used by Portugal at this game were controversial, the game still highlighted the fact that the Portuguese were a team to contend with.

The fact that North Korea beat Italy during the first round also helped Portugal, because this meant the Asian side would be their opposition during the last eight. It looked as if all was lost, however, when North Korea brought the score to 3 to 0 during the game’s first 25 minutes. With the help of Eusebio’s four goals, the team managed to pull out a 5 to 3 win.

The team then faced England and faced a real challenge. Bobby Charlton got two goals early on and Portugal wasn’t able to regain control. It took another 20 years before Portugal made it to the finals again. When Portugal made it to the tournament in Mexico, they were considered a difficult team to contend with, but they still were not thought of as a team that could win. At this time, Portugal found itself facing England in the opening group phase. Despite putting up a good fight, Portugal did not progress.

Once again, the Portuguese found themselves out of the World Cup action for a long period of time. In fact, they didn’t return until 2002. They were referred to as the “Golden Generation” during this time, but still did not fair too well. Despite the excitement surrounding Rui Costa, Luis Figo, and Fernando Couto, the young team wasn’t able to pull off a victory. First, they lost against the United States with a score of 3 to 2. They did win against Poland, however, with an impressive score of 4 to 0. With that victory, team Portugal’s hopes were improved. This was short-lived, however, as they were beaten by South Korea. The hopes team Portugal held in its young talent were quickly dashed.

After that disappointing season, Luis Felipe Scolari was brought in to try to revive the team. Scolari, who was the manager of the winning Brazilian World Cup team has brought new hope to the struggling team. After being beaten in Euro 2004, Scolari has something to prove to the world and he has just the team to do it with. In addition, it is a straightforward procedure to get out of Group D, which contains Iran, Mexico, and the former colony of Angola.

If history is any indication, Portugal is not likely to bring home the win in 2006. At the same time, they have a number of factors working in their favor. They have young talent that is thirsty for a win as well as a high-quality coach with something to prove to the world. The results of this match up remain to be seen.