More exciting soccer action is headed your way, when Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of his Portugal squad kick off their Euro 2016 campaign against Iceland. There’s no doubt that most are expecting the Portuguese to win this one, but don’t quickly count out an “old-fashioned” and yet a very capable team like Iceland. They might just be able to pull off an upset here.
Read on below for more information about this Group F showdown. And while you’re at it, check our preview of another Group F match between Austria vs. Hungary.
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Portugal heads into this match overflowing with confidence. They are, after all, the more talented and more experienced team compared to tournament debutants Iceland. More importantly, the Portuguese have the best soccer player in the globe right now—Cristiano Ronaldo—on their side.
Ronaldo, obviously, is the heart of the Portugal’s offense. Yes, he is 31 years old already and it’s arguably fair to say that he could be past his prime. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case yet. A proof of this is the fact that Ronaldo is coming off a spectacular 2015-16 campaign with Real Madrid, netting over 50 goals for the sixth-straight year.
Furthermore, Ronaldo, who scored five of his team’s 11 goals in qualifying and is set to win his 127th cap, played a key role in leading Portugal to a dominant 7-0 victory over Estonia last week. In that game, the superstar forward found the net twice before being replaced at halftime.
It’s worth noting, though, that the Portuguese could be short of one integral man on the pitch. Forward Ricardo Queresma is deemed doubtful for today’s opener due to a minor muscle problem. Hence, Portugal might have to rely more on the highly-experienced Nani, who has accumulated 17 goals in 95 career caps, up front to provide some support for Ronaldo.
Portugal has made it to the semifinals of the European Championship in four of their six total appearances in the tournament.
Experience is one of the biggest issues for Iceland. They are, as mentioned earlier, making their first appearance at a major tournament. Nevertheless, this team’s going to make the most out of this opportunity and should pose as a relatively intriguing threat to the Portuguese.
Iceland doesn’t really have top-tier talents on their squad, but they do boast several competent strikers and wingers that effectively complement their old-fashioned system. Speaking of which, the tandem of midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson are expected to be the country’s most lethal offensive threats.
Sigurdsson, in particular, will be their go-to-guy. He scored and assisted more than half of Iceland’s goals in the qualifiers and also led them in scoring (six), passes (447) and tackles (13). The 26-year-old has played solidly for Swansea City in the Premiere League, racking up 11 goals across 36 matches.
Meanwhile, defense seems to be another major concern that Strákarnir Okkar need to cover. They conceded just six goals during the qualifiers, but the same cannot be said in their last six international friendly matches. In that stretch, Iceland has yielded a total of 12 goals, which includes losses to Poland (4-2), Norway (3-2) and the United States (3-2).
Iceland has lost its only two matches against Portugal, which both occurred in Euro 2012.
