Portugal put away superstar Cron in the early hours of Wednesday morning (5) to beat Finland 4-2 at home in an international warm-up match that featured midfield slave Fernandes. The reserve played two plum shots, including a long range effort into the world cup, proving that he has a better role than Cron. Portugal play a key role in the race to win this year's European Championships.
Portuguese coach Martinez's battle today was aimed at experimentation. 39 year old striker Cron and 41 year old stalwarts made comparisons and armor, who usually slaved Nandis as a backup. They consisted of Diego Zuda, Rafael Riau and Frans Goganskaou, who still had the upper hand. Seventeen minutes into the game, midfielder Rubin Dyas headed in a corner, and in first-half stoppage time, Diago Zuda scored a 12-yarder to take a two-goal lead into the locker room.
After the change of sides, Portugal made a number of moves, including a switch to the slave-like Nandis, the 29-year-old Red Devils star who shot from outside the box for 55 minutes. At one point, Finland trailed 2-3 with two goals from the 34-year-old Dympki, but the slave-like Nandis contributed again to help Portugal seal a 4-2 victory.
In the early hours of Sunday (9), Portugal's next warm-up match will be against Croatia, when Cron should be expected to return for this year's Europa League. For the early morning match on June 19, Portugal has been drawn into Group F of the Europa League, whose opponents include the Czech Republic, Georgia and Turkey.
