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Portuguese men's football team will defend the title of European champions this summer, while another continent champion will defend their honor at the World Cup. It is the Portugal men's Futsal team. The Portuguese, who won the 2018 European Futsal Championship, will arrive in Lithuania in September to compete with the strongest national teams in the world. We have already talked about the Portuguese superstar Ricardinho, and now let's get acquainted with the Portugal team itself. Portugal's matches in Lithuania will be the 6th time in the FIFA World Championships. In the first three final tournaments, they did not participate - they were simply not among the invited teams for the first time, and they performed poorly in the qualifiers for the 1992 and 1996 championships. It was a bit strange because the alternative FIFA/AMF-organized World Championship in 1991, the Portuguese became champions. However, later Portugal focused only on the FIFA organized tournament and it paid off - in the 2000 World Cup final stage in Guatemala, they lost only to the future finalists Spain and Brazil, and defeated Russia in the match for the third place. Other performances were less successful - they stumbled in the group stage in 2004 and 2008, and in the quarterfinals in 2012. All three times they were tripped up by Italy. In the 2016 semifinals, the Portuguese lost to the future champions Argentina and in the match for the third place after penalties, they lost to Iran. Glory returned just three years later at the European Championship. In the final, Portugal defeated the multiple champion Spain after extra time, avenging their failure in the 2010 final. For the "golden" 2018 generation approaching the World Championship, it may be the last chance to become the best in the world, as the team's star Ricardinho will turn 36 in the fall. Another important figure in the national team is Bruno Coelho, who scored the equalizing goal in the decisive final at the end of regular time and the crucial penalty in extra time - he will turn 34. Pedro Cary, who will be 37 in May, was selected for the symbolic team of that championship, he turned 34 in February. Ricardinho and B. Coelho were the top scorers in the 2018 European Championship, and now they are also teammates in the club - when Ricardinho attracted the French club ACCS, B. Coelho soon joined him there. Other national team players play in the Portuguese league - usually it's either "Benfica" or "Sporting". The only exception is defender Andre Coelho, who moved to "Barcelona" last year. Interesting fact, this 26-year-old player is a qualified engineer. He completed his studies playing for the joint Minho University and SC "Braga" team. After completing his master's studies, he signed a professional contract with "Benfica". Universities and Futsal association in Portugal is quite significant: out of 14 players who became European champions, 9 have a higher education, with 2 of them having a master's degree. In the Futsal Champions League this season, the two Coelho played against each other. A. Coelho with "Barca" in the quarterfinals met B. Coelho and Ricardinho represented ACCS. The Catalonian club triumphed with a 2:1 victory. Among the hopeful young players, Portugal can count on the young Izaquel Gomes Te, better known as "Zicky". The "Sporting" player was among the top 10 young Futsal players in the world in last year's elections. For the past two years, only one Portuguese has won the top spot in individual awards - the best national team coach chosen, the team strategist Jorge Gomes Brazas. Born in Edmonton, Canada, the specialist has been leading the national team for over a decade, and before that he was an assistant for four years. Under J. Brazo's leadership, the team stumbled in the qualifiers for the World Championship last year in a match with Finland (2:2), but secured their ticket to Lithuania by beating Italy decisively in the decisive match (4:1). This year, Portugal is playing in the European Championship qualifiers with unexpected draws against Czech Republic and Poland. However, they still top the group and only a mishap against the tournament's outsider Norway would prevent them from defending the title. According to J. Brazo, the team's goal at the World Championship in Lithuania is to compete for medals. "Last time we were just a few steps away. We were not as mature as we are now. I believe that this time we can achieve more," said the coach. Portugal will come to play in Lithuania from September 12 to October 3. The battles of the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Championship final stage will take place in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipėda.
