Paulo Jorge Pereira, national coach, says that Portugal has “many chances” of being in Paris
This Thursday marks three years since Portugal achieved the greatest feat in the history of handball, by qualifying for the Olympic Games, thanks to a decisive goal by Rui Silva in the last seconds of the game against the French team, in the pre-Olympic tournament held in Montpellier.
The date may be a good omen for the Heroes of the Sea, but it won’t be of much use when Paulo Jorge Pereira’s men take the field (5.30pm) to face Norway who, unlike Portugal, disappointed in the European Championship held in January, by finishing 9th in a competition that started with an eye on medals.
Now, to face the pre-Olympic tournament that starts this Thursday in the Hungarian city of Tatabánya, Paulo Jorge Pereira invested in the base of the team that reached 7th place in the European Championship, making just two changes in the squad, with the addition of left winger Diogo Branquinho and pivot Alexis Borges to replace Pedro Oliveira and Ricardo Brandão, respectively.
In conversation with THE BALL, the coach explained the options and reinforced confidence in the team that gave a good response in the competition that took place in Germany two months ago. «We wanted to maintain as much as possible because we were exceptional. O [Diogo] Branquinho is always ready for these things and Pedro Oliveira hasn’t been as good as he has been this season, and we always look for the best for the Seleção”, he explained.
The presence of Alexis Borges was more surprising, since the Benfica pivot had resigned from the national team after the 2023 World Cup, returning to the options again, at a time when Victor Iturriza and Daymaro Salina, both FC Porto pivots, meet recovering from injury, which left the position quite lacking in terms of experience.
«We will add value with Alexis in defensive terms. He is no longer with us for personal and family reasons, but now he has shown availability again and of course he is a great asset in defensive terms, as well as being able to attack with quality so that we can give Luís Frade some rest”, he highlights.
Alexis Borges returns to the group after having abdicated after the 2023 World Cup. «Suffering» seeing the Europeans on the outside weighed on making the «right decision»
Ready for the “fight of fights!”
Concentrated since Saturday, but with the full group only on Monday, the Seleção had little time to prepare for a highly demanding competition, with three games in four days. In this sense, Paulo Jorge Pereira assumes the importance of the technical team and theoretical information, since preparation on the ground is clearly scarce.
«It’s going to be the fight of fights! This started in December [início da preparação para o Europeu] and ends on the 17th. And this phase is prepared with a lot of focus on details. All teams have little time to work, so we are on equal terms. All we can do is try to win what we can win, which is wanting more than others».
To reach the Olympic Games for the second consecutive time, Portugal must secure one of the first two places in the pre-Olympics, which also includes Hungary and Tunisia, and to which the Portuguese team arrives with a different status from that which they had in 2021, as per recognizes the selector, highlighting, however, that the statute does not enter the field. Which could even be good against Norway, which despite being behind Portugal in the European Championship (9th) is one of the greatest handball powers.
«It’s not the same to play with Portugal now, as it was four years ago. The mistake is thinking that we will beat Norway just because we won last time. Especially because since 2020 we have played against them four times and only won once», he recalls, also removing the decisive status of the match.
The unfulfilled dream of seeing the airport full
Despite the results achieved by the National Team in recent years, which include the best (6th) and second (7th) best participations ever in European Championships, the highest classification in World Cups (10th) and qualification for the last Olympic Games, there is a dream that Paulo Jorge Pereira admits has not yet come true: to see these results recognized by the Portuguese people. «I dream that we can have an extraordinary reception at the airport. We never had it and it’s something I visualize. I’ve been waiting for this to happen for a long time and we haven’t had that opportunity yet. It could be this time,” he points out.
«It’s the first game, it doesn’t define anything. We are used to playing one game at a time and adapting to the circumstances. If we beat Norway it will be important, of course, but we have to think one game at a time. If we have to suffer more and take decisions to the end, we will suffer because that is usually our fate”, he adds, not forgetting that the decision can be postponed until the last game against… the host.
«When we get to the game against Hungary we will already know what we have to do. And we’re going to play against 16 thousand fans, which always comes with additional tension”, he anticipates.
Handball team goalkeeper with confident speech for the pre-Olympics
No one can take that confidence away from the coach who holds the record number of games for the national team and who helped put Portugal back on the handball map, with presence in six consecutive major competitions. Asked about the real possibilities of Portugal returning to the biggest sporting competition on the planet, Paulo Jorge Pereira does not hesitate.
«Our hypotheses are many. Everyone has possibilities. We will fight to equalize the possibilities. Returning to the Olympic Games, which could be the most popular in history, would be fantastic. We have this opportunity once again, which is a real source of pride», he summarizes the fact that handball is the only pavilion sport in Portugal that has ever been to the Olympics.
Bring on the fight of fights!
