Portugal&#39;s coach Fernando Santos will leave his final decision on team selection for the quarter-final clash against Poland until today morning because of injuries to at least two players, he told reporters. 
 
Speaking on the eve of the game in Marseille, Santos also said he viewed the two sides as evenly matched which could result in a tight, defensive contest. 
 
&quot;There are some players who aren&#39;t 100 per cent fit so we&#39;ll wait until tomorrow to ascertain whether they are entirely fit or not and if they can play or not,&quot; Santos said. 
 
&quot;Sometimes the players can recover and we still have 24 hours to go.&quot; 
 
Defender Raphael Guerreiro and midfielder Andre Gomes have not trained since Monday and on Wednesday were again not on the pitch with the rest of the squad. 
 
The two sides have met 10 times with their last encounter ending in a goalless draw in 2012 and the omens are that it could be another close game. 
 
Apart from a stunning bicycle kick goal by Switzerland&#39;s Xherdan Shaqiri, the Polish defence has not been breached. 
 
Portugal&#39;s last five European Championship ties have ended in draws after 90 minutes, although they scraped through against Croatia in the last 16 with a 117th minute winner. 
 
&quot;I think it&#39;s a 50-50 match. My players know that. They (Poland) are here on their own merit,&quot; Santos said. 
 
Asked if it could be similar to the Croatia clash, Santos lauded Poland&#39;s defensive unity and collective spirit. 
 
&quot;Of course, it will be a game of a lot of strategy. Sometimes there is a Gordion Knot that you can&#39;t untie,&quot; he said, referring to the mythological legend used as a metaphor for a difficult problem. 
 
&quot;There will be a strong strategic component to this game, because if you concede four goals nobody can ensure you can score five,&quot; he quipped. 
 
Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo struggled against Croatia producing one shot, but Santos defended his &quot;amazing&quot; captain. 
 
&quot;We want to strike a balance, of course. We want Ronaldo to shoot on target 15 times and score 10 goals, but our opponents won&#39;t let us and that&#39;s part of the game,&quot; Santos said. 
 
There have also been concerns over the Stade Velodrome pitch, but Santos, whose country lost to France in the 1984 European Championship semi-final in Marseille, said it looked better than expected. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve thought about the match here in 1984, but we played against France so you can&#39;t compare the two. It&#39;s apples and oranges,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

The two sides have met 10 times with their last encounter ending in a goalless draw in 2012

Portugal's coach Fernando Santos will leave his final decision on team selection for the quarter-final clash against Poland until today morning because of injuries to at least two players, he told reporters. Speaking on the eve of the game in Marseille, Santos also said he viewed the two sides as evenly matched which could result in a tight, defensive contest. "There are some players who aren't 100 per cent fit so we'll wait until tomorrow to ascertain whether they are entirely fit or not and if they can play or not," Santos said. "Sometimes the players can recover and we still have 24 hours to go." Defender Raphael Guerreiro and midfielder Andre Gomes have not trained since Monday and on Wednesday were again not on the pitch with the rest of the squad. The two sides have met 10 times with their last encounter ending in a goalless draw in 2012 and the omens are that it could be another close game. Apart from a stunning bicycle kick goal by Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri, the Polish defence has not been breached. Portugal's last five European Championship ties have ended in draws after 90 minutes, although they scraped through against Croatia in the last 16 with a 117th minute winner. "I think it's a 50-50 match. My players know that. They (Poland) are here on their own merit," Santos said. Asked if it could be similar to the Croatia clash, Santos lauded Poland's defensive unity and collective spirit. "Of course, it will be a game of a lot of strategy. Sometimes there is a Gordion Knot that you can't untie," he said, referring to the mythological legend used as a metaphor for a difficult problem. "There will be a strong strategic component to this game, because if you concede four goals nobody can ensure you can score five," he quipped. Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo struggled against Croatia producing one shot, but Santos defended his "amazing" captain. "We want to strike a balance, of course. We want Ronaldo to shoot on target 15 times and score 10 goals, but our opponents won't let us and that's part of the game," Santos said. There have also been concerns over the Stade Velodrome pitch, but Santos, whose country lost to France in the 1984 European Championship semi-final in Marseille, said it looked better than expected. "We've thought about the match here in 1984, but we played against France so you can't compare the two. It's apples and oranges," he said. (Reuters)

Portugal sweating on injuries ahead of Poland clash

A week after England and Russia supporters clashed, and while flare-throwing and fighting have marred games elsewhere, fans of Iceland say they prefer hugs to hooliganism at Euro 2016. 
 
Having the time of their lives, Icelanders told AFP in Marseille they have come to their first ever European Championships to have fun and feel part of Europe. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not sure life can get any better, it&#39;s historic, great to be here,&quot; Louise Ragnarsdottir told AFP on the seafront of the southern city.&nbsp;&quot;All my life I watched the tournaments on TV, now we are part of Europe&#39;s party!&quot; said the 28-year-old accountant from Reykjavik. 
 
Some 27,000 Iceland fans have travelled to France, almost 10 per cent of the Nordic island&#39;s 330,000-strong population. No smaller country has ever featured at a Euro finals. 
 
&quot;We live on a faraway island, just to go abroad at all is an experience,&quot; said Ragnarsdottir. 
 
After the Group F tie with Hungary on Saturday pockets of Iceland fans gathered in Marseille&#39;s Vieux Port district to chant &quot;Boom-Boom-Hoooo!&quot;, leaping in unison on the &quot;Hoooo!&quot;. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s our Viking song, synchronised and terrifying,&quot; laughed Arni Gardar, an IT consultant from Reykjavik. 
 
&quot;But we don&#39;t mean to be scary, we are good Vikings not marauders, actually very nice, we come in peace,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;Iceland is N-Iceland!&quot; cried another fan, Jonina Unnur Gunnarsdottir. 
 
&nbsp;&#39;Best fans yet&#39; 
 
&quot;They are the best fans we have seen yet,&quot; said Karim, a cafe owner watching the revelry on the Quai des Belges. &quot;It was different last week,&quot; he recalled. 
 
Nearly a week ago England and Russia fans conducted pitched battles in the worst violence at a football tournament since the 1998 World Cup, prompting police to respond with tear gas and baton charges. 
 
For fans of the Nordic minnows the Euro 2016 violence has been an eye-opening experience. 
 
&quot;We are a peaceful nation, we have no army, no guns, we&#39;re just not into fighting,&quot; Atli Gudmundsson told AFP. &quot;At home families go to football, no-one dreams of ever causing trouble.&quot; 
 
The 29-year-old attended the Croatia-Czech Republic tie in Saint Etienne on Friday where Croatian fans fought among themselves and lit flares, forcing a temporary stoppage in play. 
 
&quot;Torches on the pitch, fighting in the stands, that kind of thing is new to us, it was quite shocking to see,&quot; he said. 
 
&#39;Share the love&#39;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We just want to hug people, I mean come on, just share the love,&quot; said his friend Daniel Ma&#39;sson. 
 
Hungary brought some 20,000 fans to the game in Marseille. Some scuffled with security guards before the game and threw flares on the pitch. 
 
All the tension was on the other side of the pitch,&quot; Elisabet Thorisdottir told AFP. 
 
&quot;The Hungarians were a little bit aggressive, but very passionate. We had no problem with them or anyone else.&quot; 
 
Around 10,000 Iceland fans were also in the Stade Velodrome and the two sets of fans produced a raucous atmosphere, the Scandinavians holding their own with renditions of &quot;Boom-Boom-Hoooo&quot;. 
 
And leading 1-0 with two minutes to go Iceland were on the brink of a fairytale win to follow the 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo&#39;s Portugal on their European Championships debut. 
 
Then two minutes from the end an own goal by Birkir Savarsson crushed their dreams. 
 
&quot;The Portugal 1-1 draw was like a win, but the Hungary 1-1 felt like a defeat,&quot; said Iceland fan Bjarni Mak Johanntsson. 
 
But for a country that just four years ago was ranked 131st in the world, their fans will enjoy the rest of Euro 2016 no matter whatever happens in the final group game against Austria in the Stade de France on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re the small guys, always overlooked,&quot; said Hdortur Bjarnason. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s just good to be noticed for once. Europe, we will be back!&quot; he said, punching the air. 
(AFP)

Almost 10% of all Icelanders have come to their first-ever European Championships to have fun

A week after England and Russia supporters clashed, and while flare-throwing and fighting have marred games elsewhere, fans of Iceland say they prefer hugs to hooliganism at Euro 2016. Having the time of their lives, Icelanders told AFP in Marseille they have come to their first ever European Championships to have fun and feel part of Europe. "I'm not sure life can get any better, it's historic, great to be here," Louise Ragnarsdottir told AFP on the seafront of the southern city. "All my life I watched the tournaments on TV, now we are part of Europe's party!" said the 28-year-old accountant from Reykjavik. Some 27,000 Iceland fans have travelled to France, almost 10 per cent of the Nordic island's 330,000-strong population. No smaller country has ever featured at a Euro finals. "We live on a faraway island, just to go abroad at all is an experience," said Ragnarsdottir. After the Group F tie with Hungary on Saturday pockets of Iceland fans gathered in Marseille's Vieux Port district to chant "Boom-Boom-Hoooo!", leaping in unison on the "Hoooo!". "It's our Viking song, synchronised and terrifying," laughed Arni Gardar, an IT consultant from Reykjavik. "But we don't mean to be scary, we are good Vikings not marauders, actually very nice, we come in peace," he said. "Iceland is N-Iceland!" cried another fan, Jonina Unnur Gunnarsdottir. 'Best fans yet' "They are the best fans we have seen yet," said Karim, a cafe owner watching the revelry on the Quai des Belges. "It was different last week," he recalled. Nearly a week ago England and Russia fans conducted pitched battles in the worst violence at a football tournament since the 1998 World Cup, prompting police to respond with tear gas and baton charges. For fans of the Nordic minnows the Euro 2016 violence has been an eye-opening experience. "We are a peaceful nation, we have no army, no guns, we're just not into fighting," Atli Gudmundsson told AFP. "At home families go to football, no-one dreams of ever causing trouble." The 29-year-old attended the Croatia-Czech Republic tie in Saint Etienne on Friday where Croatian fans fought among themselves and lit flares, forcing a temporary stoppage in play. "Torches on the pitch, fighting in the stands, that kind of thing is new to us, it was quite shocking to see," he said. 'Share the love' "We just want to hug people, I mean come on, just share the love," said his friend Daniel Ma'sson. Hungary brought some 20,000 fans to the game in Marseille. Some scuffled with security guards before the game and threw flares on the pitch. All the tension was on the other side of the pitch," Elisabet Thorisdottir told AFP. "The Hungarians were a little bit aggressive, but very passionate. We had no problem with them or anyone else." Around 10,000 Iceland fans were also in the Stade Velodrome and the two sets of fans produced a raucous atmosphere, the Scandinavians holding their own with renditions of "Boom-Boom-Hoooo". And leading 1-0 with two minutes to go Iceland were on the brink of a fairytale win to follow the 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal on their European Championships debut. Then two minutes from the end an own goal by Birkir Savarsson crushed their dreams. "The Portugal 1-1 draw was like a win, but the Hungary 1-1 felt like a defeat," said Iceland fan Bjarni Mak Johanntsson. But for a country that just four years ago was ranked 131st in the world, their fans will enjoy the rest of Euro 2016 no matter whatever happens in the final group game against Austria in the Stade de France on Wednesday. "We're the small guys, always overlooked," said Hdortur Bjarnason. "It's just good to be noticed for once. Europe, we will be back!" he said, punching the air. (AFP)

'Nice' Iceland fans prefer hugs to hooliganism

UEFA began disciplinary proceedings today against Portugal, Hungary and Belgium for incidents in their Euro 2016 matches the previous day. 
 
Portugal is charged with allowing a pitch invasion, Hungary for allowing crowd disturbances and other offences and Belgium for its fans setting off fireworks and throwing objects. 
 
A fan ran on to the pitch in Portugal&#39;s 0-0 draw with Austria at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Saturday and posed for a selfie with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. 
 
In Marseille, Hungarian fans clashed with stewards in the Stade Velodrome as they tried to climb a fence to join up with another group of Hungarians before the 1-1 draw with Iceland. 
 
Hungary is also accused of allowing its fans to set off fireworks and throwing objects. 
 
The punishment in that case will be announced on Tuesday. 
 
Belgium also faces charges that its supporters threw fireworks and other objects during the 3-0 win against the Republic of Ireland in Bordeaux. 
 
UEFA said it was yet to decide a date for its disciplinary committee to meet on the cases of Belgium and Portugal. 
(AFP)

A fan ran on to the pitch after Portugal's 0-0 draw with Austria in Paris and posed for a selfie with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo

UEFA began disciplinary proceedings today against Portugal, Hungary and Belgium for incidents in their Euro 2016 matches the previous day. Portugal is charged with allowing a pitch invasion, Hungary for allowing crowd disturbances and other offences and Belgium for its fans setting off fireworks and throwing objects. A fan ran on to the pitch in Portugal's 0-0 draw with Austria at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Saturday and posed for a selfie with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. In Marseille, Hungarian fans clashed with stewards in the Stade Velodrome as they tried to climb a fence to join up with another group of Hungarians before the 1-1 draw with Iceland. Hungary is also accused of allowing its fans to set off fireworks and throwing objects. The punishment in that case will be announced on Tuesday. Belgium also faces charges that its supporters threw fireworks and other objects during the 3-0 win against the Republic of Ireland in Bordeaux. UEFA said it was yet to decide a date for its disciplinary committee to meet on the cases of Belgium and Portugal. (AFP)

UEFA opens disciplinary probes against Portugal, Hungary and Belgium

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Portugal sweating on injuries ahead of Poland clash

'Nice' Iceland fans prefer hugs to hooliganism

UEFA opens disciplinary probes against Portugal, Hungary and Belgium