Euro 2020: Kudos to Gosens, but disgraceful Portugal deserve to get knocked out

Robin Gosens's 'heart-warming revenge story' has been all over the internet since he starred in Germany's 4-2 defeat of Portugal. But, in case you missed it, here is a comprehensive synopsis:

Our hero, Gosens, is a 26-year-old German wing-back who had toiled away in relative obscurity for the first three seasons of his senior career. He only came into the limelight after he signed for Italian Serie A side Atalanta in 2017, for a reported fee of around €1 million.

Meanwhile, the villain, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, is arguably the greatest of all time (GOAT). To be precise, let us call him the arguable-GOAT (A-GOAT). Naturally, the A-GOAT had it all. After achieving everything a professional footballer could want, except winning a World Cup, he joined Serie A giants Juventus in 2018, aged 33, for a reported €100 million, the highest fee ever paid for a footballer over 30.

Now that both players were in Italy, their paths were bound to cross. It did, and turned into a painful memory for Gosens. After a match between their sides, our relatable hero rushed over to the A-GOAT and asked whether they could swap shirts. Reportedly, this was in January 2019, after Atalanta beat Juventus. Yeah, not the best time to approach A-GOAT. But, his iconic No 7 jersey would look good on Gosens's wall. So, the German made his move. "But, Ronaldo did not accept," wrote Gosens in his book (the German title translates into something like dreams are worth it). Ronaldo did not even look at him, he wrote, and just said: ‘No!’

This embarrassing moment may have been in the back of Gosens's mind as he rampaged up and down the German left flank, scoring one and assisting two against Ronaldo's Portugal. But, to reduce his man-of-the-match performance to something as lame as a 'revenge story' is pathetic. This is football, not the plot of Shah Rukh Khan's Fan (2016). As of the morning of June 20, all Gosens has said about this 'angle' is that he did not ask for Ronaldo's shirt this time and that he just wanted to enjoy the victory and the evening.

Now, let us talk about the real issues.

I am responsible for this, said Portugal head coach Fernando Santos after his side's loss. Was he really? I mean the 66-year-old did everything he could from the sidelines. If he was a few decades younger, Santos, a former defender with over 100 appearances in the Portuguese top division (but none for the national team), would probably have jumped on to the pitch himself. What he is responsible for is winning two trophies for Portugal, Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League 2018-2019. Against Germany, two of his four substitutions tried to address the weakness on the right side of his defence.

The weakness, also known as Nelson Semedo, seemed at times like he had stepped out for a leisurely stroll and got caught in the middle of a football game. Just ask Barcelona fans. Semedo gained much notoriety for his role in Bayern Munich's 8-2 demolition of the Catalan giants in the 2019-2020 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. This prompted Barcelona to sell him in the next transfer window. But, Semedo, known for his speed, ball control and dribbling, resurrected his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in England's top flight. He was rewarded with a call-up to the Euros squad.

But, he was not expected to start, only deputise for Manchester City's Joao Cancelo. Unfortunately for Portugal, Cancelo tested positive for COVID-19 a couple of days before its first group game against Hungary and was replaced with the talented, but unreliable, Diogo Dalot. So, Semedo had to start. All three—Cancelo, Semedo and Dalot—are better going forward than defensively. But, Santos's hands were tied as the defensively adept Ricardo Pereira was unavailable because of injury.

Arsenal's Cedric, who was Portugal's first-choice right-back till the 2018 World Cup, has struggled with form, minor injuries and fitness issues for a couple of years now. But, the 29-year-old was called back to the national team earlier this year and played his first game for Portugal since 2018, even providing an assist in a 2-2 draw. But, overall, it was felt that he had not done enough to be chosen for the Euros over Cancelo and Semedo.

This looked like a fair decision. And opting for Dalot over Cedric when Cancelo withdrew can also be defended as Dalot had done reasonably well for AC Milan in the 2020-2021 season. But, not having a defensively adept right-back could prove to be a fatal mistake for Portugal. As things stand, if Portugal lose against France, there is a real risk that they may not make it to the round of 16. If Portugal lose and Germany win against Hungary, Portugal will finish third, but whether they go through as one of the four best third-placed teams will depend on results elsewhere. So, avoiding a loss against France is imperative. But, to be absolutely certain of progression, Portugal need to win; against France. Enter Kylian Mbappe.

So, is Semedo expected to hold his own against Mbappe? Surely not. The right-winger and the right-sided defensive midfielder would have to help out if they are to stop Mbappe from decimating the Portugal defence. But, why did they not do the same against Germany? The level of effort and defensive awareness by Portugal was utterly disgraceful. Bernardo Silva, the attacking midfielder who started on the right wing, is among the best players at the Euros. That was evident as he set up Diogo Jota to assist Ronaldo for the game's first goal. But, he did not track back to help Semedo, who had been forced into a more central position by Germany's tactics, as Gosens received the ball on the left. This resulted in Germany's equaliser.

For Germany's second goal, it was the same thing from the other side. The left-back Raphael Guerreiro was in a central position, and the left-winger, Jota, was not alert enough. But, the right side looked like more of a problem. So, Santos made a brave call at half time. He took off Bernardo Silva (there is no update regarding an injury yet) and brought on the energetic Renato Sanches. Sanches, primarily a central midfielder, can also play on the right. He had won the French league this year with little-fancied Lille and was in good form.

Though he grew into the game later and even hit the German post with a thunderous strike, he did not track back for Germany's third goal and was partially at fault for Gosens being in acres of space again. Then Santos brought on Rafa Silva, a more natural right-winger, for one of his starting defensive midfielders and Sanches went into a central role. Rafa Silva, who had come on and created all three goals against Hungary, was more alert in his defensive duties, or, at least part of it.

He saw the run of Gosens, tracked back and stayed with the German till the end, and, then, just stood there as Gosens leapt to score Germany's fourth from a thumping header. I mean, I know you are not as big as Gosens and would be easily outmatched even if you had tried to jump with him. But, do something to hassle him; try to pull down his shorts, like Indian school kids do in such situations! It was as if Rafa Silva ran back so hard to get into prime position to watch the goal.

It is telling that Portugal was not troubled much after Gosens was substituted immediately after Germany's fourth goal for a defensive full-back in Marcel Halstenberg. They even managed to pull one back thanks to the efforts of Ronaldo, who was excellent on the night. The 36-year-old, who extended his lead as the all-time top scorer at the Euros (12) with the game's first goal, turned provider this time for Jota to finish into an open goal.

What needs to change against France? Firstly, the level of effort in defensive work. The superstars, with the exception of Ronaldo, need to step up, too. Ronaldo, who is now only two goals behind Iranian Ali Daei's all-time international goal-scoring record (109), has been superb in terms of both impact and effort. For the first goal, he headed a German corner clear and then ran the length of the pitch to score. Bruno Fernandes is hardworking as always, but needs to produce more. To be fair to him, Portugal are not doing enough to bring him into the game.

Bernardo Silva needs to work harder in defence. The supremely skilled Jota needs to start doing the simple things, too, instead of trying to dribble past players all the time. His pass to Ronaldo for the first goal was almost the only time he found a teammate in a good position. All the other times, he had a chance to play a simple pass; he chose not to do it and instead tried to dribble, often to little effect. Ruben Dias, who was among the world's best defenders last season, was also troubled by Germany. So, was the 38-year-old-but-still-effective Pepe.

Even if Portugal do everything right, they may not beat France, who were themselves underwhelming in a draw against Hungary. But, if they play well and lose, and do not progress at the mercy of others, at least their fans would be able to take solace in a brave last stand. If they play well and get through, even if it is based on other results (after only getting a draw), it could be the catalyst to another run to the latter stages of the tournament.

In 2016, fans were overjoyed as Portugal unexpectedly won the tournament. It was based on solid defending and Ronaldo. But, this time, coming in as one of the favourites, the result against Germany, and, more worryingly, the lazy defensive performances have put them in an unenviable position. While Portugal fans would understandably want the team to progress in any manner possible, for neutrals, it may be better if the talented team gets knocked out, learns their lessons and comes back stronger.

Even the A-GOAT will have to retire at some point and it will be vital for Portugal that their players approach tournaments with the right attitude. An early exit because of one shocking defensive performance will get this point across clearly.