There is a well-publicized fact about Portugal's Euro 2016 journey thus far: they have not won a match in 90 minutes in five attempts. The team was involved in easily two of the most boring matches in the tournament, beating Croatia 1-0 late in extra time in the Round of 16, and besting Poland in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw that lacked entertainment once the second half began. Yet, Portugal are into the semifinals, despite being boring, and they've done it because they can.
Portugal is very good at being boring
Euro 2016 semifinalists Portugal haven’t won a single game in regulation. But that’s not their problem -- they’re just playing the game that’s in front of them.
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The easiest way to play a boring game is through having a strong defense, and Portugal have just that. Throughout the tournament, the Portuguese defense has been tough to crack. Minus the team’s bizarre 3-3 draw against Hungary in their Group F finale, they’ve conceded only two goals. They’ve faced 48 shots from the opposition during the tournament, of which only 15 have been on target. Goalkeeper Rui Patricio has done his part to keep as many of those shots on target outside of the goal, making 10 saves in five games.
However, the standout player in the defense, and throughout the tournament for Portugal, has been center back Pepe. Exchanging his usual nature of committing dirty fouls, he’s become the type of defender that does his job quietly and without too many theatrics. He’s been essential in stopping opposition attacks, making 25 clearances in the five games he’s played so far. In addition, the Real Madrid man has made 17 interceptions, keeping his goalkeeper as inactive as possible.
Despite being regular semifinalists at the European Championships, Portugal’s run to the semifinals of Euro 2016 has a certain irony to it. Portugal are captained by one of the most famous forwards in the sport, Cristiano Ronaldo, and oftentimes, their success in tournaments is based in part by Ronaldo’s performances. Yet, the Portugal captain has scored only twice during the tournament, and both goals came against Hungary.
But for all of their defensive successes, Portugal have been ultimately judged on their offensive output throughout the tournament. To credit the critics, they have indeed made viewers want to do anything else but watch the match. However, Portugal have done exactly what the tournament’s new setup have allowed for.
With four third-place teams making it to the knockout stages, Portugal did not need to dominate offensively in order to book a ticket to the next round as long as they were solid defensively, and they did just that. Once they made it to the knockout stages, Portugal’s defensive strategy benefited from the fact that both Croatia and Poland lacked even more than they did in attack. Poland, after going up a goal in the second minute, looked as if they were first playing to win 1-0 in regulation, and then playing for penalties once Renato Sanches scored the equalizer 33 minutes in. Croatia, for their part, did not muster a shot on target during the 120 minutes of play.
The defensive strategy may have to change come the semifinals, where they will face either Belgium or Wales, but it’s not like Portugal lack in attacking talent. Ronaldo, Nani, and Sanches have shown individual brilliance at times and even have goals to their name. Though they may be boring, Portugal are doing exactly what other teams that went out in the stages before them attempted -- to stay alive as long as possible. They’ve just done it better.
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