Portugal steeled for Serbo-Montenegrins

UEFA European Under-21 Championship final hosts Portugal take a step into the unknown when they face Serbia and Montenegro at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos in the second round of Group A matches. Not only have the sides never previously met at this age group; their paths have never crossed at U17 and U19 levels and even senior fixtures have been a rarity. However, neither team can contemplate defeat after both went down 1-0 in their group curtain-raisers on Tuesday.

• There was a senior encounter in the last eight of the first UEFA European Championship in 1960, which was played over two legs. The Portuguese enjoyed the upper hand against the then Yugoslavia in Lisbon, Joaquim Santana and Lucas Da Fonseca scoring in either half to gain a two-goal advantage only for Bora Kostić to halve the deficit with nine minutes left. The Yugoslavians picked up where they had left off when the return game got under way at Belgrade's FK Partizan stadium, Dragoslav Sekularac striking early only for Domiciano Cavém to respond before the half-hour. Zvezdan Cebinac levelled the aggregate scores on the stroke of half-time and the hosts ran away with the tie after the break, Kostić scoring twice and Milan Galić once to book a semi-final place.

• Yugoslavia went on to defeat France 5-4 at the Parc des Princes in Paris, but fell at the last hurdle in the French capital, losing 2-1 to the Soviet Union after extra time in the final. Portugal have not subsequently faced Yugoslavia or Serbia and Montenegro in a competitive senior fixture, although the two countries will meet in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A with the first game scheduled for Serbia and Montenegro on 28 March 2007 and the return in Portugal on 12 September the same year.

• The senior teams did play a friendly in June 1984, with the Yugoslavians twice recovering from a goal down to record a 3-2 victory in Lisbon. Rui Manuel Jordão twice put the Portuguese ahead but first Safet Susić and then Sulejman Halilović responded before Dragan Stojković won the match for the visitors from the penalty spot with six minutes remaining.