It’s a cautionary note for Jorge Braz’s squad: in their fifth World Cup warm-up match, a defeat. Portugal was beaten 3-6 by Ukraine this Sunday in Viseu.
The Portuguese team consistently struggled on defense, with their mistakes proving costly, particularly in the first half. Ukraine took a 3-0 lead into halftime, thanks to goals from Andrii Melnyk and two from Petro Shoturma.
In the second half, Portugal showed more decisiveness and quickened their pace, but each time they narrowed the score, new defensive lapses led to more goals against them.
Ukraine expertly exploited Portugal’s high pressing, putting their defense under pressure and finishing with clinical precision.
Portugal will continue their preparations for the World Cup final phase, with two more matches against Paraguay scheduled for early September.
