. “Cezary Kulesza in an interview with Sport.pl before the weekend, when asked by us about the new coach, said: – Some will be surprised, some will delight,” Sosnowski wrote. And so it happened. The appointment of Santos comes as a surprise to many, as he was not mentioned among the favorites to take the job, such as his compatriot, Paulo Bento.
Fernando Santos faced the Poles several times. As a souvenir, he has a photo with Franciszek Smuda
In the evening, the president of PZPN officially confirmed that it was the Portuguese who would lead our team. He did it by posting a joint photo on Twitter and inviting to Tuesday’s press conference at the PGE National Stadium. This is when Santos will be introduced and will talk to journalists about the new challenge for the first time.
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The Polish national team will be the third national team to be led by Santos. Previously, he was responsible for the results of the Greeks in 2010-2014, as well as the Portuguese from 2014 to 2022. He led Greece to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 and the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup. Portugal to the title of European champion in 2016 and winning the UEFA Nations League in 2019. During the recent World Cup in Qatar, he reached the quarter-finals with his compatriots.
Over the years, leading both Greece and Portugal, Santos had the opportunity to compete with the Poles several times. Even during Euro 2012, which our country organized together with Ukraine. In the opening match, the White and Reds faced the Greeks led by Santos (1:1). Our coach at that time was Franciszek Smuda, who had the opportunity to meet the Portuguese in person.
Polsat Sport on the occasion of the nomination of Santos decided to remind the meeting of the two men. It happened for the first time during the Euro 2012 group draw, back in 2011. A photo was taken as a keepsake. Quite original. The men look very tense.
In 2016, Santos had the opportunity to stand against Adam Nawałka. During the European Championships in France, in a memorable quarter-final match. Eventually, the Portuguese defeated our national team after a series of penalty kicks (1:1 and 5:3 in penalties) and continued their march, as it turned out, for the title.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
