The names are branded on the soul of every Portuguese football fan: Rui Patricio, Cédric, Fonte, Pepe, Guerreiro, Carvalho, Sanches, Silva, João Mário, Nani, Ronaldo. That XI lifted the 2016 European Championship, Portugal’s first international title after a long wait and much pain. Yet the team that won in France is almost comically inferior to the one that has since failed even to get close to major honours. Football, though, is an art not a science, and the job of balancing a team requires feel as much as calculation – feel that eluded Fernando Santos and, so far, has eluded Roberto Martínez too.
As Group K begins with Portugal heavily fancied at this summer’s tournament, Martínez has made one notable selection call. With Dias absent injured, Gonçalo Inácio – whose passing has been so important – is a surprise omission. The left-wing berth went to Pedro Neto, not João Félix or Rafael Leão. Otherwise, the XI is pretty much as expected. For Cristiano Ronaldo, this is his final World Cup, the stage where Portugal’s golden generation will try to rekindle the alchemy of 2016.
“Portugal’s 2016 Euro winners return to face DR Congo as Martínez seeks to end tournament drought.”