Three big reasons why Portugal struggled in Euro 2020

Bengaluru, June 29: The defending champions Portugal crashed out of the Euro 2020 as world number one side Belgium stunned Cristiano Ronaldo and co to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Selecao were always facing an uphill battle against a side full of quality after they had scrapped through in the 'Group of Death' and progressed to the last-16 as one of the four third-best teams in the group stages.

Ronaldo and his side threw everything at Belgium in the final stages, but could not find an equaliser despite a flurry of late chances. The Red Devils scored with their only shot on target and resisted 23 shots from a star-studded Portugal attack to book a quarter-final meeting with Italy.

Euro 2020: Belgium vs Portugal Statistical Highlights: Red Devils in quarterfinals with clinical win

Considering the quality of the current Portuguese squad, bowing out in the Round of 16 is definitely an underachievement and these three reasons may have played a big role in their disappointing campaign:

1. Miss-firing Attackers

Three of Portugal's seven goals came from the spot and that speaks volume of their struggle in front of goal from open play. Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota has had a fine game against Germany but was largely ineffective against France and Belgium.

Premier League playmakers Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes also failed to carry their expected club form in the national colour as well. So, the goals dried up with young Joao Felix and Andre Silva also having dry spells.

2. Shaky Defence

Portugal kept only a single cleansheet in Euro 2020 and that was in their opening fixture against Hungary. Apart from that every other game, the Pepe-Ruben Dias pair never looked impressive. The defence did not hold up well against Germany while it also conceded sloppy goals against France.

And against Belgium, the team only allowed one shot on target but still, they could have done better in closing down Thorgan Hazard, before his fiery strike.

3. Over-reliance on Ronaldo

Just like the last edition, the Portuguese skipper left no stone unturned to help his side progress to the knockout stages. Out of Portugal's seven goals, Ronaldo alone netted five. However, that also exposed how over-reliant the team was on him. During his dry spell, none of the other potential goal-scorers stepped up and it played a big part in their flop show in Euro 2020.