The Portuguese national team was far from the best way to hold the last European Championship. The team of Fernando Santos found themselves in a very difficult group along with France, Germany and Hungary. At the same time, the tournament regulations allowed qualifying for the playoffs in certain hands and from the third line, which ultimately helped the selected team to break into the playoffs after the French and Germans. However, it was not possible to go further than the 1/8 finals. A 0:1 defeat by Belgium knocked the Portuguese out of the tournament. In qualifying for the World Cup, the Portuguese team was not in the most difficult group along with Serbia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan, where it was considered a clear favorite. However, contrary to all predictions, the Portuguese finished second, being three points behind Serbia.
The Czech team pleased at the last continental championship, where they started with a victory over Scotland (2:0), followed by a draw with Croatia (1:1). Such results brought four points and the third position, while the rating allowed the “people’s team” to go to the playoffs. At the stage of the 1/8 finals, Lokomotiv became the main sensation of the tournament. Yaroslav Shilgavy’s wards left the Netherlands national team out of work (2:0). Unfortunately, for the fans of the national team there was no longer enough strength to pass Denmark (1:2). In the qualifying tournament for the 2022 World Cup, the Czech squad recorded four wins and two peaceful outcomes in eight rounds, which brought 14 points and third place in the standings. In the last two rounds today’s guests defeated Belarus (2:0) and Estonia (2:0) in turn. Today Pavlenka, who has an ankle injury, will not be able to help his team. More accurate football predictions for free can be obtained from the link provided.
