Portugal Media Not Impressed With 'Mediocre' Ireland Team In Lisbon

Having come into last night’s World Cup qualifier in Lisbon as sizeable underdogs, it’s fair to say that Ireland produced a satisfactory performance despite their 1-0 loss to Portugal.

This was always going to be a game where Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side had to defend for the majority of the contest. That proved to be the case, although Portugal created few chances of note despite dominating the possessions stats.

In the end, it took a last gasp Ruben Neves header to secure three points for the hosts.

Portugal Media Not Impressed With ‘Mediocre’ Ireland Team In Lisbon

While Ireland will be pleased with their display in this fixture, they did not quite capture the imagination of the host nation.

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Marco Vaza in Portuguese media outlet Publico summed up the less than complimentary opinion held about the Irish side in the country. In saying that, he felt the home side had no answer for the team’s approach.

Having not participated in a World Cup in over 20 years, the Republic of Ireland is one of those teams that has become stagnant in the mediocre.

It’s not San Marino, which gets thrashed by everyone, but it has few tools to come close to the best teams in Europe. The coach’s problem is actually building a team – more than half play in the English second division…

But the Irish team began by asking questions that Portugal couldn’t answer. How could they overcome an ultra-defensive 5-4-1 formation, which was more like a 10-0-0 formation? Portugal had no answer. Neither on the ground nor in the air.

Ferguson, a striker on paper, was more of a defensive midfielder, disrupting the build-up play from the back.

Portugal certainly struggled to break down the Ireland defence, with their shooting opportunities largely limited to long range efforts.

Jornal de Notícias were impressed with one aspect of the Irish display, praising Caoimhín Kelleher for his efforts in Lisbon.

In a tough match, the big opportunity finally came in the 73rd minute, when the referee pointed inside the box to award a penalty to Roberto Martínez’s men.

However, Kelleher was a giant between the posts, saving Cristiano Ronaldo’s shot into the center of the net with his foot.

75mins: 🇵🇹 0-0 🇮🇪
Kelleher pulls off a spectacular save from his left foot from a Ronaldo penalty spot kick.
📺 @rte2 & @rteplayer https://t.co/b2OI4OoWVJ
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📱Live blog https://t.co/XRaK69bTxc pic.twitter.com/s4H5q1fOVD

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 11, 2025

Kelleher produced another top class display for Ireland in this game, with Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva also praising him for his efforts.

Another Portuguese newspaper, Expresso, said that this was the latest in a long line of games where their team struggled against lesser opposition. They also gave a rather rudimentary summary of Ireland’s tactics on the night.

The truth is that the home match against Ireland at Alvalade was, as a whole, just another match to add to the list of matches against inferior opponents in which Portugal struggles…

Ireland weren’t here for great ball possession. Holding, attracting, and circulating were all concepts beyond their opponent’s grasp.

If they saw a predictable passing line, they’d most likely try to play a ball forward and in the air, which would only reach its destination sometime in the early hours of the morning, a time when Portuguese players should be hugging their pillows.

While Ireland’s tactics were defensive in this game, their supporters will be thrilled to see the team produce the type of coherent display that has often been lacking in recent seasons.

Of course, none of that will county for much if Hallgrimsson’s side do not follow up this performance with a victory against Armenia on Tuesday evening.

Portugal Media Not Impressed With ‘Mediocre’ Ireland Team In Lisbon

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