Strength the key to success
Thursday, July 1, 2004
Article summary
Reflecting on last night's semi-final victory against the Netherlands, the Portuguese press hailed the "indomitable strength" of the host nation.
Article body
Portugal last night became the first host nation since France in 1984 to reach a UEFA European Championship final, beating the Netherlands 2-1 at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. euro2004.com rounds up the media reaction.
Portugal 2-1 Netherlands
We are in the European Championship final! At last, the final. But when you think about it, Portugal have won four consecutive finals - matches they dared not lose. Russia, Spain, England and the Netherlands all succumbed to the indomitable strength of will of the team which has kicked off a party across Portugal. We are only a game away from the European title, and now have the experience of playing crucial matches from this tournament. You could say the defeat by Greece was a blessing in disguise, unleashing the emotions and quality within the squad. (A Bola)
Portugal deservedly reached the European Championship final, beating the Netherlands 2-1 in a game which started in subdued fashion but came alive with the effort of the players. If matters were complicated by Portugal's over-confidence, in the end the voice of a strong group of players was heard loudest. The voice of the heroes, such as Figo, was clear and direct, despite the many personalities within the team. So, after missing out on three finals (1966, 1984 and 2000), Portugal's footballers will finally have a shot at glory. (Record)
The dream is over. These players might have won almost every prize available with their clubs, but as an international force this generation were just not good enough and will now say farewell. Frank de Boer, Jaap Stam, Marc Overmars and Phillip Cocu all saw EURO 2004 as their last chance of silverware with the Oranje, but they fell for the third time at the semi-final stage. (De Telegraaf)
The Oranje machine made the occasional threatening noise but just could not achieve full power. Maybe the time has come to look for a foreign coach. There are several youngsters with the quality to replace the departing players from the older generation, although the reserve of talent is not as deep as in the early 1990s. (De Volkskrant)
