Topics: World Cup 2014, FIFA World Cup, Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fabio Coentrão, Hugo Almeida, Pepe
A very bad day in Salvador left the Portuguese players frustrated at the end of the match. They now must regroup and find a way to overcome that dissapointing defeat without Pepe, Hugo Almeida and Fabio Coentrão.

The stage was set for a fantastic debut for both Germany and Portugal, but Paulo Bento’s side were far from impressive. After their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of a solid German squad, the Portuguese now have a lot of decisions to make.

Euphoria and excitement for the Portuguese has quickly turned into doubt, disbelief and concern.

Hugo Almeida’s injury will keep him out of action for at least 10 days. That may come as relief for some, but the the big center-forward is a physical presence that they lack. He may not be the quickest or the fanciest, but without him, the Lusitanos are now forced to use an inexperienced Eder, or a much shorter Helder Postiga, who did not play much since his move to Lazio in January.

Adding to the list of problems is the injury of left-back Fabio Coentrão.

As he made a stretch for a pass down the sideline, he pulled up holding what appeared to be his groin or his hamstring. Not having another true left-back within the squad, the Portuguese manager has some decisions to make.

During the match, he opted to bring in Andre Almeida, who has played left and right back at the club level with Benfica. But let us not forget that playing out wide is not his strong point.

Almeida has always been a midfielder who can play in a more central role, or even as a defensive minded player. His lack of experience combined with the pressure to do well in a position that is not entirely his best could really hurt the Portuguese back four.

Bento’s other option could be to push Ricardo Costa out wide. The Valencia defender has played there a few times, and although he could very well play central alongside Bruno Alves given the red card received by Pepe, Costa could be a better option there, allowing Luis Neto to play central.

“Things are very tough for the defenders,” Bruno Alves told reporters when he was asked about Pepe’s sending off.

“Maybe it is best to just play with midfielders and forwards, but it was not because of the referee that we lost the match. There are a lot of dives, which make things very difficult for the defenders.”

Even Cristiano Ronaldo was not at his best against Germany, which has many wondering if he really is 100 percent.

“Cristiano is well,” said Bruno Alves. “Sooner or later things are going to get better for him. Today he tried, he took shots, but for top players, things will just happen naturally.”

Either way, Portugal not only started poorly, but it seems that everything that could have gone wrong in the opening match did. From poor performances to loss of concentration and injuries, Portugal now has an uphill challenge.

Reuniting the group and getting them confident and motivated for Sunday’s match against the USA will be their main priority. Having lost their first match does not mean they are out, but it puts a lot more pressure on them to perform in their remaining two fixtures.

Reaction On Twitter: