Spain, Portugal in intriguing clash
moscow — Spain and Portugal meet for just the second time in the World Cup in one of the most intriguing games of the group stage. Spain are in chaos after firing their coach two days before Friday’s match, and Portugal have been fending off distractions since star Cristiano Ronaldo hinted at an upcoming announcement about his future.
The Group B match in Sochi is at Fisht Olympic Stadium, the first World Cup game to be played at the venue. The Spanish soccer federation fired coach Julen Lopetegui because he accepted a job to coach Real Madrid after the tournament. Lopetegui was unbeaten in his 20 matches in charge of the national team. Fernando Hierro, a former Spain player who had been acting as the team’s sports director in Russia, will lead the country in his first major coaching job.
“I’ve been near a ball for 30 years,” Hierro said while dismissing his lack of coaching experience. Prior to the stunning firing of Lopetegui, it had been Portugal trying to stay focused on the match. Ronaldo hinted after the Champions League final he might leave Madrid, but said he wouldn’t reveal his plans until he joined the national team. It’s had the attention on Ronaldo instead of the match.
Portugal won the 2016 European Championship, have 13 players from that team in Russia, and looked much like that winning squad in a 3-0 preseason victory over Algeria.
The 50-year-old Hierro has
Then this happened with the federation and the circumstances made it possible. This is football, we never know what’s going to happen Fernando Hierro
loads of experience as a player but his only head-coaching job was with second-division club Real Oviedo two seasons ago. He had previously been Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Real Madrid after Zidane left the post in 2014. “I only have one year of experience with Oviedo and one year of experience as an assistant coach,” Hierro said. “(But) I’ve been near a ball for 30 years.”
The former defender spent most of his career with Madrid, including two seasons as Zidane’s teammate, before finishing his playing days with English club Bolton in 2005. He has experience from playing in four World Cups with Spain, starting in 1990 and ending in 2002. He also played at two European Championships, in 1996 and 2000. At Real Madrid, he helped the team win five Spanish league titles and three Champions League trophies, including as a teammate of Zidane in 2002.
Hierro said coaching remained in his plans but admitted he wasn’t expecting it to happen like this.
“I like to go step-by-step,” he said. “After coaching Oviedo I knew I wanted to coach again. Then this happened with the federation and the circumstances made it possible. This is football, we never know what’s going to happen.”
Hierro didn’t have much to say about how he likes his teams to play, but he hinted he will prioritise ball possession.