Lisbon (AFP)

Laboriously qualified Sunday for the Euro-2020, Portugal will defend its crown of 2016 around a Cristiano Ronaldo still predominant to soon 35 years. Because behind the superstar, the next generation is slow to assert itself in the title of European champions, with the exception of Bernardo Silva.

. Ronaldo, colossus "diminished"

For nearly a week, Portuguese coach Fernando Santos repeated that "CR7" was going well, countering the statements of Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri, who spoke of "a little problem knee" for the quintuple Ball of gold.

Then, Sunday, after the victory in Luxembourg (2-0) which sealed the qualification of the Seleçao, Ronaldo admitted to have played "diminished" because of an injury that has worried him for "three weeks".

If the native of Madeira has dismissed any controversy with Sarri, who had risked crumpling it by replacing him, the episode revealed how his physical problems can be a delicate subject to seven months of the European Championship (12 June-12 July).

For the record collector Cristiano Ronaldo, his participation in a fifth Euro is no doubt: it would allow him to equal his former teammate Iker Casillas (5 convocations in the final phase of Euro with Spain).

Even diminished, "CR7" continued to enrich its legend by signing a hat-trick during the wide success on Thursday against Lithuania (6-0), chaining in Luxembourg with a new goal, its 99th in 164 international matches, a total of it brings him even closer to the record of Iranian Ali Daei (109 goals).

. Bernardo, isolated glow

In eight qualifying games, he scored half of his team's 22 goals.

Behind him, only playmaker Bernardo Silva, scorer of three goals and six assists, managed to tie in the performances after being voted best player in the League of Nations, the new UEFA competition won by Portugal on his lands last summer.

The creative midfielder of Manchester City, who missed the Euro-2016 for injury, is 25 years at the peak of his art, showing again Sunday in Luxembourg that he can also light the way through his vista and the precision of his left foot.

With this exception, the candidates succeed each other alongside Cristiano Ronaldo but none seems to be able to replace him in the near future. André Silva, Gonçalo Guedes, Joao Felix or, more recently, Gonçalo Paciência have all tried their luck without really convincing.

Pepe, who will be 37 next summer, is also difficult to replace, the young Ruben Dias is still a little fair to endorse the costume of the Portuguese defense boss.

. "Candidate, not favorite"

The Lusitanian press welcomed Monday the qualification of his team at its 11th consecutive international tournament, a feat only matched in the last 20 years by France, Germany and Spain.

At the same time, commentators have not failed to highlight Portugal's difficulties in qualifying at the expense of Serbia in a group dominated by Ukraine.

"It would be time for Portugal to better define his game, more in terms of himself than the type of opponent," worried Vitor Serpa in the editorial of the sports daily A Bola.

Always criticized for his extreme realism, the coach Fernando Santos does not stop and asks to be judged solely on its results.

"Portugal may not have the brightest game in the world but we have won two of the last three competitions," he said. Between the success of Euro-2016 and the League of Nations, the Portuguese were stopped in the round of 16 of the World Cup-2018, by Uruguay.

In view of the Euro-2020, the 65-year-old coach repeated his mantra: "Portugal is a candidate for victory but is not a favorite". However, he said that Germany, France and Spain are in his eyes the main "favorites", while Portugal is among the "candidates" alongside Croatia, England, Belgium and the countries -Low.

© 2019 AFP