- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Portugal's World Cup squad train
- Date: 8th June 2010
- Summary: MAGALIESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 7, 2010) (REUTERS) PLAYERS JOGGING DEFENDER PEPE JOGGING MORE OF PLAYERS JOGGING (LEFT TO RIGHT) DECO, PEPE AND CRISTIANO RONALDO JOGGING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PORTUGAL'S HEAD COACH, CARLOS QUEIROZ, SAYING: "Pepe will play a good few minutes. We have not yet decided how many, as soon as the intensity in the second half decreases, it will be his first match after his return to fitness to the competition." PLAYERS IN TRAINING CLOSE OF CRISTIANO RONALDO MORE OF PLAYERS IN TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PORTUGAL'S HEAD COACH, CARLOS QUEIROZ, SAYING: "Sometimes to play a funny game or a pretty game does not help to win, so we need to be realistic because this is a huge competition. But it is the duty of each coach and each player every time that we are on the pitch to create that entertainment, create goals and the best environment to attract football fans throughout the world." PLAYERS IN TRAINING CRISTIANO RONALDO TRAINING QUEIROZ SHOUTING INSTRUCTIONS TO PLAYERS CENTRAL DEFENDER BRUNO ALVES PLAYERS TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CENTRAL DEFENDER, BRUNO ALVES, SAYING: "In a competition like this one, it's always better to have the best players in the world, and Drogba is one of the best in the world, but as I said before, Ivory Coast is not only depending on him, they depend on the whole team, of course if Drogba is not present, Ivory Coast will miss him." PLAYERS STRETCHING
- Embargoed: 23rd June 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA2VOKIQDWYTEAMA47H82Q1SYM0
- Story Text: Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz says defender Pepe will return to action in the friendly against Mozambique for the first time since suffering a knee injury last December.
Portugal defender Pepe will return as a substitute in a pre-World Cup friendly against Mozambique on Tuesday (June 8) after being sidelined for six months due to a knee injury, coach Carlos Queiroz said.
"Pepe will play a good few minutes. We have not yet decided how many, as soon as the intensity in the second half decreases, it will be his first match after his return to fitness to the competition," Queiroz said.
The Real Madrid player, who cost the Spanish club 30 million euros (35.82 million U.S. dollars) when he moved from Porto in 2007, fell awkwardly and damaged the cruciate ligament in his knee while playing in La Liga in December.
He underwent surgery and has not played since, but was cleared to travel to the finals by doctors late last month.
Asked if Brazil's new tactical play under Dunga worried him, Queiroz said he wasn't overly concerned with the pressure on teams to entertain as teams would always settle for a win.
"Sometimes to play a funny game or a pretty game does not help to win, so we need to be realistic because this is a huge competition. But it is the duty of each coach and each player every time that we are on the pitch to create that entertainment, create goals and the best environment to attract football fans throughout the world."
Portugal begin their World Cup Group G campaign against Ivory Coast on June 15 before matches with North Korea and Brazil.
The team have been boosted by news that Ivory Coast's top striker Didier Drogba will most likely miss the group stage of the tournament due to a fractured elbow.
"In a competition like this one, it's always better to have the best players in the world, and Drogba is one of the best in the world, but as I said before, Ivory Coast is not only depending on him, they depend on the whole team, of course if Drogba is not present, Ivory Coast will miss him," said Portugal defender Bruno Alves.
Portugal struggled in qualifying for the tournament, needing a play off win against Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure their spot in South Africa.
The side have been a dealt a tough draw with neighbours Spain likely to be their opponents in the last 16 should they make it out of their group.
Portugal will hope they can better their achievement in the 2006 World Cup when they reached the semi-final. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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