Portuguese strikers under microscope

Portugal were expected to beat the Czech Republic at Euro 96 but couldn't find the killer touch

At Euro 96 they won many admirers with their fluid attacking play, but they were let down by their inability to turn chances into goals.

And the manner of Portugal's recent 2-0 defeat at the hands of Italy suggests that history could be about to repeat itself.

Four years ago, after winning their group impressively, they lost a game they were expected to win against the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.

When Portugal could only finish third behind Germany and Ukraine in their qualifying group for France 98, once again it was their goalscoring which let them down as they managed just 12 goals in 10 qualifying games.

They seemed to have got their act together in qualifying for Euro 2000 when they hit 32 goals in 10 games to go through as the best second-placed team, but that statistic was distorted by the presence of Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein in the group.

The result was unjust, I liked our performance, I thought we played well

Humberto Coelho after Portugal's 2-0 defeat to Italy

The doubts will have resurfaced after the defeat against Italy when Portugal dominated for long periods but were unable to find the killer touch.

Italy scored two late goals to bring an end to Portugal's 14-match unbeaten run.

However, Humberto Coelho, the Portugal coach, was not too concerned by the result: "The result was unjust," he claimed.

"I liked our performance. I thought we played well."

The local Portuguese media weren't convinced though: "Art without goals brings no glory," was the opinion of the sports daily Bola.

The Portuguese will look to Joao Pinto for goals

The responsibility for scoring goals at Euro 2000 seems certain to fall at the feet of Joao Pinto. He only appeared as a second-half substitute against Italy as coach Coelho tried out his options up front.

His goalscoring record of 18 goals from almost 60 appearances is reasonable but not outstanding for an international striker, but when he is on form and firing the team seems to have the focal point it needs.

More impressive are the strike rates of midfielders Luis Figo, who has 13 goals also from 60 games, and Rui Costa, who has 17 goals from 50 starts, although he is the team's regular penalty taker.

And there will be a certain amount of revenge in the air when Portugal face their first-round opponents at Euro 2000.

The Portuguese have faced England, Germany and Romania (twice) in the last three years and haven't recorded a single victory.

The doubts remain, but Euro 2000 would be the perfect time to lay them to rest.