Not even the Ballon D’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo could avoid what was a disastrous start to Portugal’s World Cup campaign.
The Portuguese national team lost 4-0 against Germany this afternoon (June 16) in Salvador da Bahia, in a match where Pepe was sent off with a red card halfway through the first half and Hugo Almeida and Fábio Coentrão were substituted due to what could be serious injuries.
German forward Thomas Müller was the star of the match, devastating Portugal’s defense with a superb hat-trick. Defender Mats Hummels headed the remaining goal.
Despite Portugal contesting some of the referee’s decisions – including a penalty for Germany which allowed Müller to score his first goal, the ‘Nationalmannschaft’ were always the strongest team on the pitch.
Portugal will now have to focus on winning its remaining matches against the USA (June 22) and Ghana (June 26) to guarantee a spot in the World Cup’s next stage.
