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'Beautiful pair' Figo, Gomes hailed as Portugal moves to semifinals
Posted: Sunday June 25, 2000 09:38 AM
ERMELO, Netherlands (AP) -- Halfway through the second half of Portugal's match against Turkey, the brass section among the Portuguese fans took up a familiar tune -- "We've got the whole world in our hands." Watching Luis Figo and his compatriots dismantle the reputation of yet another Euro 2000 finalist, it was hard not to agree. The Turks were having their best-ever European championship, but they were outplayed, out-thought and then thrown out 0-2 Saturday by a Portuguese team that, after its fourth straight win, has sportswriters searching for new superlatives. Figo, Rui Costa and the rest are now in the semifinals and in with a chance to boldly go where no Portuguese team has gone before -- into the final of a major international tournament. "We are ready to be European champions," said coach Humberto Coelho. "We played to win, our players were extraordinary." The victory in the Amsterdam ArenA puts Portugal in the semifinal of a top competition for only the third time in its history, equaling the achievements of Eusebio's World Cup idols of 1966 and Fernando Chalana's battlers of Euro '84. Portugal's performance has been to hard to fault. In four games they've scored nine goals. England, Romania and Germany were brushed aside. Saturday's quarterfinal saw the Turks marginalized as Figo bewitched their defense to set up heartthrob Nuno Gomes for his two goals. Only the agility of Turkish goalie Rustu Recber prevented a rout. Figo, picking up his second UEFA man-of-the-match award, was again the standout. Every time the Barcelona No. 7 received the ball, a reverential expectation hung over the Amsterdam ArenA as everybody realized that if Figo had the ball, something special would happen. Again and again, Figo directed the flow of crimson and yellow shirts towards the Turkish goal. He fired in shots from left and right, stranded defenders as he drove relentlessly forward. Figo set up both Portuguese goals so perfectly that Nuno Gomes had little to do but keep his cool and tap in. Figo has emerged in Euro 2000 as arguably the world's best soccer player. He displays a unique economy of movement, brushing the continent's most redoubtable defenders aside with a seemingly effortless hip swerve. Barcelona says it wants US$120 million from any foreign club that wants to buy Figo, more than double the world record. But while the midfield ringmaster drew most of the praise pouring in to the Portuguese team, Figo benefited Saturday from outstanding support around the pitch, from a penalty-saving dive of goalkeeper Vitor Baia, to Nuno Gomes' double goal strike. The performance showed how Coelho has brought this Portuguese team on from those which have so often flattered to deceive in the past. "Through this Euro, we've transformed a group of great individuals into a great team," said centerback Jorge Costa, whose rock-solid defensive performance has made one of the unsung heroes of this Portuguese team. Next up is a semi-final against France or Spain in Brussels Wednesday. A win would set this Portuguese team on the road to finally fulfill the promise of its golden generation of players that dominated world youth soccer a generation ago. Figo and Gomes hailed in PortugalLISBON, Portugal -- Portuguese papers on Sunday all followed the same cue for front-page photo -- Nuno Gomes grabs Luis Figo's shoulder as the two stars of Portugal's quarterfinal victory run, arms stretched out in front of them, to celebrate their second goal. "Beautiful pair," read a headline on the sports daily Record. "They're the pride of Portugal," wrote the daily 24 Horas. Portugal advanced to the Euro 2000 semifinals after downing Turkey 2-0 Saturday with both goals skillfully set up by Figo and calmly tapped in by Gomes. Overall, Figo's talent fetched more ink than Gomes' goals as sportswriters were basically overwhelmed by the Barcelona winger's riveting moves. "They say he's got the Devil in his boots. Yesterday, it was all over his body," the daily Jornal de Noticias said. Ever since Portugal's head-spinning entry into the Euro 2000, local media have had eyes for little but the competition and the national team's performances. Game after game, editors have poured on the praise while expectations soared. "The Portuguese team did what everyone was asking them to do: beat Turkey and advance to the semifinals," the daily Publico said. The sober newspaper on Sunday dedicated the first seven pages to the quarterfinal matches instead of relegating them, as would be expected, to the sports section. Its front page declared: "Unbeatable."
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