Ronaldo relishing a real home game, Dutch in the doldrums
BERLIN: After World Cup qualifiers, leading European teams are back in action today for friendlies. France take on Spain, while Italy are the Netherlands and European champions Portugal meet Sweden among the top fixtures.
Cristiano Ronaldo is looking forward to leading European champions Portugal out against Sweden in his home island of Madeira in a number of key friendly internationals today.
After World Cup qualifiers, several top European nations have scheduled test games, with France playing Spain, and the Netherlands greeting Italy among some of the highlights.
Russia, the 2018 World Cup hosts, are meanwhile up against visiting Belgium, Ireland greet Iceland, Austria meet Finland, Albania face Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Es- tonia welcome Croatia among other games.
Ronaldo scored a brace in a 3-0 defeat of Hungary in Saturday’s World Cup qualifiers, taking his tally of international goals to 70 from 137 games and put him fourth on the all-time European list.
Ronaldo is now ahead of Gerd Mueller and Robbie Keane and one behind Miroslav Klose on 71. Only Sandor Kocsis on 75 and Ferenc Puskas on 84 are still ahead of the 32-year-old.
He also has nine goals in five games of the current World Cup qualifying campaign, two more than than other European player.
“I know how many goals I have but that’s not the most important thing,” Ronaldo said.
“What matters is that we won and we’re in the fight to go to the World Cup.”
More immediately the Real Madrid star now has a home- coming at Madeira’s Estadio do Maritimo in Funchal against Sweden, who eased to a 4-0 win over Belarus in their Group A qualifier on Saturday.
“It will be beautiful,” Funchal-born Ronaldo said. “The national team haven’t been to Madeira for many years. It will be good for the people of Madeira.”
The Netherlands take on Italy at the Amsterdam Arena having dismissed coach Danny Blind on Sunday after a 2-0 defeat to Bulgaria on Saturday which has dented Dutch hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup finals.
Blind said after the game he would think about whether Tanzania v Burundi Georgia v Latvia Albania v Bosnia-Herzegovina Egypt v Togo Estonia v Croatia Macedonia v Belarus Russia v Belgium South Africa v Angola Luxembourg v Cape Verde Islands Austria v Finland Netherlands v Italy Portugal v Sweden Republic of Ireland v Iceland Cameroon v Guinea France v Spain he should continue as national team coach. He was then informed on Sunday of the decision to sack him at a meeting with the Dutch federation football director, Jean Paul Decossaux, and technical director, Hans van Breukelen.
Fred Grim, the Under-21 coach, will take charge against Italy while the federation searches for a permanent coach.
The Dutch, who missed out on Euro 2016, now find themselves in fourth place, six points off leaders France in Group A and three from a potential play-off spot.
Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura made no substitutions during Friday’s defeat of Albania and is likely to test some of his youngsters against the Oranje.
“Those who did not play today will do it tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow,” Ventura said after the game.
Among the changes, 18-yearold keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is likely to fill in for veteran Gianluigi Buffon, who, at 39, played his 1 000th professional game in Palermo.
Spain have no major injury concerns before their meeting with France at the Stade de France but coach Julen Lopetegui is under pressure to make changes.
The XI that started against Israel produced the right re- sult but club managers will not want their players to have played 180 minutes at such a crucial stage of the season.
And the likes of Pedro Rodriguez, Alvaro Morata, Iago Aspas, Ander Herrera, Cesar Azpilicueta and Gerard Deulofeu will all want minutes having sat out the first game.
That needs to be balanced against the need to get a result against one of Spain’s biggest European rivals.
Real Madrid full-back Dani Carvajal said: “There are no friendlies when we play France.
“This is a new cycle with a new coach who has new tactics and a new idea, and this will be a great game to demonstrate all that.”
France go into the game off a 3-1 victory in Luxembourg on Saturday, with Olivier Giroud striking twice, to put Didier Deschamps’ side on to 13 points from five games. – DPA