UEFA Nations League 2020/21: Portugal vs Sweden

The massive headline from this matchup came before the game, not after. Portugal and Juventus star, Cristiano Ronaldo, tested positive for COVID-19, ruling him out for a minimum of two weeks.

While the absence of Ronaldo is a weighty one, Portugal’s depth was on display as Fernando Santos called on Diogo Jota to fill the CR7 void. The Liverpool man didn’t disappoint, recording two goals and an assist in a comfortable 3-0 victory for A Seleção.

This tactical analysis breaks down Portugal’s success in manipulating Sweden’s strong defence, contrasting it to the disconnect in the Swedish attack. With Portugal leading 2-0 at halftime, the second half saw the Scandinavians up their urgency. We’ll examine the change in tempo and the fallout at the end of this analysis.

Lineups

Portugal’s coach, Santos, used his preferred 4-3-3 in this match. Rui Patrício was again the man in goal. Pepe and Rúben Dias were the central pairing at the back with Raphaël Guerreiro and João Cancelo on the wings. Within the three-man midfield, Danilo Pereira was the #6, William Carvalho played box-to-box and Bruno Fernandes was a true #10. Bernardo Silva started at right-forward but often dropped deep into the midfield to facilitate the build-up. Atlético Madrid’s João Félix started at the #9 with Jota up top.

Janne Andersson’s Sweden countered with a 4-4-2, aiming to use a rigid defensive structure to keep the Portuguese at bay. Robin Olsen in goal with a backline of Carl Mikael Lustig, Pontus Jansson, Victor Lindelöf and Pierre Bengtsson. Juventus winger, Dejan Kulusevski and Viktor Claesson operated in the two wide midfield roles while Kristoffer Olsson and Albin Ekdal played centrally. Rounding out the formation, Marcus Berg and Robin Quaison were the two-man strike force.