It was not the most rabble-rousing of messages but the sender mattered more than the words. “Congratulations, kids! We’re in the final!” was the missive from Luís Figo after Portugal’s 5-0 semi-final win over Germany and he is a man who knows more than most about the importance of the European Under-21 Championship, having been part of the last Portugal side to reach the final 21 years ago.
That 1994 team, Portugal’s “golden generation”, included Figo, Rui Costa, João Pinto, Jorge Costa and Abel Xavier, a quintet who provided the backbone of a fine side of the late-90s and early-2000s, most notably in their run to the semi-final of Euro 2000.
The current side, who take on Sweden in the final at Slavia Prague’s Eden Stadium on Tuesday evening, will have to go some way to match their illustrious forebears but such is the talent in Rui Jorge’s under-21 squad that there is confidence they can go one better than Figo and co.
“If we manage to win it will be a huge success for the players and the entire country,” said the attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva. “We’ve never won this tournament and we’ll do everything in our power to win it. It’s a very important competition and it would be a landmark for every player.”
The ill-fated and unwanted golden moniker hovers perilously close by but nevertheless this is undoubtedly a bumper crop. Recent winners of this tournament have not failed to provide a couple of bona fide stars – David de Gea and Thiago Alcântara in 2013, Javi Martínez and Juan Mata in 2011, Mats Hummels, Manuel Neuer and Mesut Özil in 2009.
William Carvalho and Bernardo Silva are the players most likely to hit those heights from this group, although João Mário, Raphaël Guerreiro and Paulo Oliveira have all served notice of their considerable talent. They do not appear to have a weak link.
“Everybody is aware of the passion, will to win and quality in my team,” Jorge said. “That’s the most important thing for me, not the way they are going to be labelled in the future. If tomorrow we manage to win, that will be perfect but I just want my players to show their quality once again.
A Portugal victory is by no means a certainty. Sweden produced their best performance of the tournament in the semi-final against Denmark, their counterattacking style clicking decisively into gear, and when the sides met six days ago in the group stages the 1-1 draw, courtesy of Simon Tibbling’s 89th-minute equaliser, took Sweden through to the last four at the expense of Italy.
That goal remains the only one Portugal have conceded here and while Sweden’s head coach Hakan Ericson believes he knows how his side can create chances, he admits Portugal are favourites.
Still, there is plenty of optimism in the Swedish camp. “It’s a final and we know we’re facing a really good team,” said the Sweden captain Oscar Hiljemark. “But hopefully we can put ourselves out there as a team and show everybody that we deserve to be in the final. I and the group expect a lot of happiness tomorrow.”
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