Portugal vs. Poland Euro 2016 Quarterfinals Preview, Preview, Schedule, Streaming Info As Cristiano Ronaldo Looks To Add to Legacy
Portugal and Poland will face off in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals on Thursday.
Few had Portugal making it this far after a troubled group round that included no victories.
But here they are thanks to a huge win over Croatia in extra time. Cristiano Ronaldo, who was largely missing from the game managed to get the game's first shot on goal when he stole the ball deep in his own end and fed it to Renato Sanches for a counter. Ronaldo ended up getting a shot off from a tough angle but it was enough for Ricardo Quaresma to get the rebound and give the Portuguese a win in a poor match overall.
Now Portugal face a Polish side that won a shootout over the Swiss despite a poor offensive effort overall. Robert Lewandowski, the team's captain and the top scorer of the Euro qualifiers has been a ghost in this tournament and is still looking for his debut goal.
Portuguese player to watch
Ronaldo was largely absent against Croatia because he did not run back into the midfield to help out his teammates. But when he went back to defend in the dying minutes of extra time and fed Sanches for the counter, Ronaldo proved that he can be extremely effective at tracking back. Look for more involvement from him in this game.
Polish player to watch
Can Lewandowski finally break through? He had 13 goals in qualifying and should be able to have some goal before this tournament is out.
History Says...
Portugal has won four from Poland and lost three with another three games ending in a draw. That said, Portugal has not defeated Poland since the 2002 World Cup and has a loss and two draws in the Ronaldo era.
Prediction
Portugal wins 2-1.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game start starts at 3 p.m. EDT and can be viewed on ESPN or the WatchESPN app. It can also be viewed on ESPN Deportes.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com