Portugal vs Panama starts at 16:00 EST (20:00 GMT) this Wednesday. This is a warm-up match for CONCACAF side Panama and Euro 2012 semi-finalists Portugal ahead of the World Cup 2014 qualifiers.
With La Liga kicking off this weekend, Portuguese skipper Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to display nothing more than an average performance against Panama on Wednesday. However, the 27-year-old will certainly try to ensure Portugal wins in the name of momentum.
The Seleccão came very close to reaching the final at Euro 2012 but lost to eventual champions Spain in the semis. Captain Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Paulo Bento instantly faced harsh criticism from the public over their penalty shoot-out plan.
Putting Portugal’s spot-kick defeat down to bad luck, Ronaldo subsequently explained in an interview with ESPN:
“It was very hard what I went through last season. First, with Madrid against Bayern, and then with Portugal at the Euros. With Real Madrid, in the semi-finals of the Champions League, I took the first and missed; against Spain I decided to take the last one, but could not.
“For me, penalties ultimately come down to luck. So for me I’d say that it was very unfortunate to have so much bad luck in such a short space of time, and at crucial moments.
“Everyone will have their own ideas of whether to take the first, the second, or the last, but in the end it is a bit of a lottery.”
How inspiring can Ronaldo be in his first international game since watching his national team mates succumb to failure against Spain in the Euro 2012 semis?
Watch Portugal vs Panama on RTP 1 in Portugal and RTP Internacional in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, United States and Venezuela.
The Seleccão came very close to reaching the final at Euro 2012 but lost to eventual champions Spain in the semis. Captain Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Paulo Bento instantly faced harsh criticism from the public over their penalty shoot-out plan.
Putting Portugal’s spot-kick defeat down to bad luck, Ronaldo subsequently explained in an interview with ESPN:
“It was very hard what I went through last season. First, with Madrid against Bayern, and then with Portugal at the Euros. With Real Madrid, in the semi-finals of the Champions League, I took the first and missed; against Spain I decided to take the last one, but could not.
“For me, penalties ultimately come down to luck. So for me I’d say that it was very unfortunate to have so much bad luck in such a short space of time, and at crucial moments.
“Everyone will have their own ideas of whether to take the first, the second, or the last, but in the end it is a bit of a lottery.”
How inspiring can Ronaldo be in his first international game since watching his national team mates succumb to failure against Spain in the Euro 2012 semis?
Watch Portugal vs Panama on RTP 1 in Portugal and RTP Internacional in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, United States and Venezuela.
