Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's association football. Brazil is administered by the Brazilian Football Confederation, the governing body for football in Brazil, they have been a member of FIFA since 1923 and member of CONMEBOL since 1916. Brazil is the most successful national team in the FIFA World Cup, the main football international competition, being crowned winner five times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Brazil has the best overall performance in the World Cup, both in proportional and absolute terms, with a record of 73 victories in 109 matches played, 124 goal difference, 237 points, 18 losses. Brazil is the only national team to have played in all World Cup editions without any absence nor need for playoffs; the seleção is the most successful national team in the FIFA Confederations Cup with four titles: 1997, 2005, 2009 and 2013. In relation to ranking standings Brazil fare well, having the all-time highest average football Elo Rating, the fourth all-time highest football Elo Rating established in 1962.
In FIFA's own ranking, Brazil holds the record for most Team of the Year wins with 12. Many commentators and former players have considered the Brazil team of 1970 to be the greatest football team ever. Other Brazilian teams are highly estimated and appear listed among the best teams of all time, such as the Brazil teams of 1958–62, with honorary mentions for the gifted 1982 side. Brazil is the only national team to have won the World Cup on four different continents: once in Europe, once in South America, twice in North America and once in Asia, they share with France and Argentina the feat to have won the three most important men's football titles recognized by FIFA: the World Cup, the Confederations Cup, the Olympic tournament. They share with Spain a record of 35 consecutive matches undefeated. Brazil has notable rivalries with Argentina—known as the Superclássico das Américas in Portuguese—and Italy—known as the Clásico Mundial in Spanish or the World Derby in English. Brazil has produced players considered as the best of the world at their time and among the best in history, such are the cases of Pelé, Zico, Romário, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Kaká and Neymar.
A common quip about football is: "Os ingleses o inventaram, os brasileiros o aperfeiçoaram". It is believed that the first game of the Brazilian national football team was a 1914 match between a Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo select team and the English club Exeter City, held in Fluminense's stadium. Brazil won 2–0 with goals by Oswaldo Gomes and Osman, though it is claimed that the match was a 3–3 draw. In contrast to its future success, the national team's early appearances were not brilliant. Other early matches played during that time include several friendly games against Argentina and Uruguay. However, led by the goalscoring abilities of Arthur Friedenreich, they were victorious at home in the South American Championships in 1919, repeating their victory at home, in 1922. In 1930, Brazil played in the first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930; the squad lost to Yugoslavia, being eliminated from the competition. They lost in the first round to Spain in 1934 in Italy, but reached the semi-finals in France in 1938, being defeated 2-1 by eventual winners Italy.
Brazil were the only South American team to participate in this competition. The 1949 South American Championship held in Brazil ended a 27-year streak without official titles; the last one had been in the 1922 South American Championship played on Brazilian soil. After that, Brazil first achieved international prominence; the team went into the last game of the final round, against Uruguay at Estádio do Maracanã in Rio, needing only a draw to win the World Cup. Uruguay, won the match and the Cup in a game known as "the Maracanazo"; the match led to a period of national mourning. For the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, the Brazilian team was almost renovated, with the team colours changed from all white to the yellow and green of the national flag, to forget the Maracanazo, but still had a group of star players. Brazil reached the quarter-final, where they were beaten 4–2 by tournament favourites Hungary in one of the ugliest matches in football history, known as the Battle of Berne. For the 1958 World Cup, Brazil were drawn in a group with the USSR and Austria.
They beat Austria 3–0 in their first match drew 0–0 with England. Before the match, coach Vicente Feola made three substitutions that were crucial for Brazil to defeat the Soviets: Zito and Pelé. From the kick-off, they kept up the pressure relentlessly, after three minutes, which were described as "the greatest three minutes in the history of football", Vavá gave Brazil the lead, they won the match by 2–0. Pelé scored the only goal of their quarter-final match against Wales, they beat France 5–2 in the semi-final. Brazil beat Sweden 5–2 in the final, winning their first World Cup and becoming the first nation to win a World Cup title outside of its own continent. Pelé described it tearfully as a nation coming of age. In the 1962 World Cup, Brazil earned its second title with Garrincha as the star player, a mantle and responsibility laid upon him after the regular talisman, Pelé, was injured during the second group match against Czechoslovakia and unable to play for the rest of t
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S. A. D. Commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a Spanish football team based in Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon. Founded on 18 March 1932 it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at La Romareda, which seats 34,596 spectators; the club has spent the majority of its history in La Liga, winning the Copa del Rey six times and the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, amongst other trophies. Traditionally, team colours are white socks with royal blue shorts. A government survey in 2007 found that 2.7% of the Spanish population support Real Zaragoza, making them the seventh-most supported in the country. The club's main rivals are: their opponents in the Aragonese derby. Real Zaragoza was formed from two rival teams: Iberia SC and Real Zaragoza CD. In 1939, after three years without football due to the Spanish Civil War, the team made its first appearance in La Liga, ending in 7th position out of 12 teams, but being relegated in 1941; the club returned to the top division one year only to be relegated back.
It remained in Segunda División until the end of the 1950–51 campaign, when it achieved promotion by finishing second in a play-off league. On 8 September 1957, the team left its original stadium, El Torrero, for its current stadium, La Romareda. Beginning in the 1960–61 season, Zaragoza enjoyed a period of great success, showcasing some of the greatest players playing in Spain during that decade, which earned for themselves the designation of Los Magníficos. While the team failed to capture the league title, it finished in the top five every year until 1968–69, with two third-place finishes, won its first two Copa del Rey titles and the 1963–64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Zaragoza's famous attacking line included Canário, Carlos Lapetra, Eleuterio Santos and Juan Manuel Villa; the Peruvian Juan Seminario, who started his career in Spain with Los Maños before moving to Barcelona, won the Pichichi Trophy in the 1961–62 campaign, scoring 25 goals in 30 matches as Zaragoza finished in fourth position.
Zaragoza finished third in 1973–74 and a best-ever second in the following season, losing the title in the last round to Real Madrid. The club was defeated 0–1 in the 1976 domestic cup final against Atlético Madrid, spending two seasons in the second level during the decade, with promotion at the first attempt on either occasion. In 1986, Zaragoza won its third Copa del Rey, defeating Barcelona 1–0; the club finished the 1990–91 season in 17th position, thus having to appear in the promotion/relegation play-offs against Real Murcia. Víctor Fernández was appointed manager in 1991. On 10 May 1995, one year after winning the Copa del Rey against Celta de Vigo, Zaragoza conquered the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup against Arsenal at the Parc des Princes, after having disposed of the likes of Feyenoord and Chelsea en route. With the score level at 1–1, the two teams entered extra time and, in the 120th minute, Nayim hit a half-volley from just past the halfway line, putting it beyond the reach of goalkeeper David Seaman for the final 2–1.
The club contested the 1995 UEFA Super Cup against Ajax, losing 1–5 on aggregate despite a home draw in the first leg. Víctor Fernández was dismissed from his post in early November 1996, after only winning one league match that season; the 2000s brought a further two Copa del Rey titles to Zaragoza's trophy cabinet, including the 2003–04 edition against Real Madrid in Barcelona. However, the club suffered top flight relegation in 2002 after narrowly avoiding so the previous season, but achieved immediate promotion in 2003. In late May 2006, Agapito Iglesias purchased Alfonso Solans' shares and took control of the club, promising to build one of the strongest teams in Spain and Europe. In his first year in charge, he purchased Pablo Aimar from Valencia for €11 million, former manager Víctor Fernández returned to the club. Due to Diego Milito's 23 goals in 2006–07, Real Zaragoza finished in sixth position, thus qualifying to the UEFA Cup. However, the following season ended in relegation – for the second time in the decade – with the side being eliminated in the first round in European competition.
Legendary club coach Víctor Fernández returned for a second spell, although he was sacked in January 2008, as the club had four managers during the campaign. On the last matchday, a brace from Ricardo Oliveira proved insufficient in a 2–3 away loss against Mallorca, with the team totalling 42 points to Osasuna's 43. Zaragoza achieved promotion from the second division at the first attempt. On the last matchday, on 20 June 2009, the team drew 2–2 at Rayo Vallecano with goals from youth graduate David Generelo and ex-Real Madrid defender Francisco Pavón, only trailing champions Xerez in the table. However, after four seasons spent in the bottom half of the table, Zaragoza was relegated following the 2012–13 Liga season after finishing last. 58 seasons in La Liga 22 seasons in Segunda División 4 seasons in Tercera División As of 17 March 2019Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules.
Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than o
Association football
Association football, more known as football or soccer, is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of eleven players. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport; the game is played on a rectangular field called a pitch with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by moving the ball beyond the goal line into the opposing goal. Association football is one of a family of football codes, which emerged from various ball games played worldwide since antiquity; the modern game traces its origins to 1863 when the Laws of the Game were codified in England by The Football Association. Players are not allowed to touch the ball with hands or arms while it is in play, except for the goalkeepers within the penalty area. Other players use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may use any other part of their body except the hands and the arms; the team that scores most goals by the end of the match wins.
If the score is level at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the competition. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, which organises World Cups for both men and women every four years; the rules of association football were codified in England by the Football Association in 1863 and the name association football was coined to distinguish the game from the other forms of football played at the time rugby football. The first written "reference to the inflated ball used in the game" was in the mid-14th century: "Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe"; the Online Etymology Dictionary states that the "rules of the game" were made in 1848, before the "split off in 1863". The term soccer comes from a slang or jocular abbreviation of the word "association", with the suffix "-er" appended to it; the word soccer was first recorded in 1889 in the earlier form of socca.
Within the English-speaking world, association football is now called "football" in the United Kingdom and "soccer" in Canada and the United States. People in countries where other codes of football are prevalent may use either term, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now use "football" for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is evidence. Cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net, it was remarkably similar to modern football. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established. Phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup. Athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda and harpastum were played involving hands and violence.
They all appear to have resembled rugby football and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified "mob football", the antecedent of all modern football codes, these three games involved more handling the ball than kicking. Other games included kemari in chuk-guk in Korea. Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other ball games played around the world FIFA has recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe; the modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the varying forms of football played in the public schools of England. The history of football in England dates back to at least the eighth century AD; the Cambridge Rules, first drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848, were influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Rugby and Shrewsbury schools.
They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football; some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857, which led to formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School devised an influential set of rules; these ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London. The only school to be represented on this occasion was Charterhouse; the Freemason's Tavern was the setting for five more meetings between October and December, which produced the first comprehensive set of rules. At the final meeting, the first FA treasurer, the representative from Blackheath, withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at the previous meeting: the first allowed for running with the ball in hand.
Other English rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA and instead in 1871 formed the Rugby Football Union. The eleven remaining clubs, under
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association, the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU. Denmark's home ground is Parken Stadium in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, their head coach is Åge Hareide. Denmark were the winners of the Football at the 1906 Intercalated Games and silver medalists at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics. However, as amateurs who prohibited their internationals from becoming professionals at foreign clubs, Denmark did not qualify for the World Cup until 1986, although they won another Olympic silver in 1960. Since 1983, the team has continuously been visible as a solidly competitive side, with the triumph in the 1992 European Championship in Sweden as its most prominent victory, defeating defending champions the Netherlands in the semi-final and Germany in the final, they won the 1995 FIFA Confederations Cup, defeating Argentina in the final. Their best FIFA World Cup result was achieved in 1998, where they narrowly lost 3–2 in a quarter-final against Brazil.
Denmark made the second round in 1986, 2002 and 2018. Apart from the men's senior A-level team, Denmark competes with a women's national team, has teams at various youth levels for both men and women, most prominently the under-21 national team; the A-level team competed in the Olympics until and including the 1988 tournament, whereafter Olympic games count as under-21 national games. In addition to the A-level team and youth teams, Denmark has a special league national team named Ligalandsholdet, with the best Danish footballers from the Nordic leagues. Ligalandsholdet was created in January 1983, has played unofficial games for the national team during the winter break of the Nordic leagues every year since, save for 2005 and 2011. Sometimes the media refer to Ligalandsholdet as Denmark's B-team, as the best Danish footballers selected for the A-team play in leagues outside of the Nordic countries; as such, the national team coach has on several occasions outlined the purpose of having unofficial matches played by Ligalandsholdet as an opportunity of testing new potential upcoming Danish players for the A-team.
The first three editions of the Olympic football event in 1900–1906 had an unofficial status, as the event was not yet open for national football teams to compete, only had limited participation of three or four club teams from a few nations. Denmark had no club team invited in the 1900 Olympics and the 1904 Olympics, but received a special invitation for the 1906 Olympics, to compete against one Greek club team and two club teams from the Ottoman Empire; the team to represent Denmark was compiled of players from the Copenhagen Football Association, they won the event, thereby an unofficial gold medal. Two years in the first official football tournament at the 1908 Olympics, Denmark won a silver medal. At the next Olympics, in 1912, the team again won a silver medal, followed by a golden era from July 1912 until August 1920, with Denmark ranked most of the time as number one in the world by the Elo ranking. Although Denmark figured prominently in the pre-FIFA World Cup era, international success would elude them for years from the first World Cup in 1930 and forward.
Despite the country's ability to produce outstanding football talents, the Danish Football Association only had the ambition to send the national team to play friendly matches and in the regional tournament, the Nordic Championship, from October 1920 until June 1948. When DBU opted to set their sights higher, they allowed the national team to start contesting the Olympics again, promptly resulting in a bronze medal at the 1948 Olympics. After, the team only reached the quarter-final at the 1952 Olympics, with the DBU choosing not to contest the next 1956 Olympics; as football remained an amateur past-time, most of the best Danish footballers moved abroad to make a living, due to DBU enforcing the rule to bar all professionals from the national team, it started to become difficult to assemble a competitive team. Denmark experienced their next revival at the 1960 Olympics with a third set of Olympic silver medals; this was followed by another notable performance at the 1964 European Nations' Cup, where Denmark impressively finished in fourth place.
However, this finish was considered by many as being more the result of a comparatively easy draw rather than a result of a well-playing team. In order for Denmark to qualify for the semi-final, they only had to defeat Malta and Luxembourg. In the semi-final, Denmark fell 0–3 to the Soviet Union lost the bronze match to Hungary; the strict rule of only allowing amateurism at the national team was abolished by the DBU in May 1971, as they had acknowledged this change was needed in order to build a competitive team. In February 1978, when the DBU decided to allow professional football to be introduced in the Danish leagues, the way was at the same time paved for the national team to sign its first sponsorship with the well-known Danish brewery Carlsberg; the new sponsorship enabled the DBU to hire the German Sepp Piontek in July 1979 as the first full-time professional coach of the national team. The full transition of the national team from amateurism to professionalism had now been accomplished, indeed, this would soon lead to a vast improvement in the performances of the team.
According to Rob Smyth and Lars Eriksen, authors of a 2009 book on the "Danish Dynamite" team that would soon emerge: In 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification, Denmark finished with eight points from eight matches, including a 3–1 win against eventual World Cup champions Italy
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in international men's association football competition since 1921. It is controlled by the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's first participation in a major tournament finals was at the 1966 World Cup, saw a team featuring famed striker Eusébio finish in third place; the next two times Portugal qualified for the World Cup finals were in 1986 and 2002, going out in the first round both times. Portugal made it to the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 1984 final tournament, losing 3–2 after extra time to the hosts and eventual winners France; the team reached the semi-finals of Euro 2000, the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2012, as well as the final of Euro 2004, the latter on home soil. At Euro 2016, Portugal won its first major trophy, defeating hosts France 1–0 after extra time, with the winning goal scored by Eder. With the win, Portugal qualified and made its first appearance in the FIFA Confederations Cup held in Russia, where they finished third.
The team's home stadium is the Estádio Nacional, in Oeiras, although most of their home games are played in other stadiums across the country. The current head coach is Fernando Santos and the captain is Cristiano Ronaldo, who holds the team record for most caps and for most goals. Portugal was not invited to the 1930 World Cup, which only featured a final stage and no qualification round; the team took part in the 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification, but failed to eliminate their Spanish opponents, aggregating two defeats in the two-legged round, with a 9–0 loss in Madrid and 2–1 loss in Lisbon for an aggregate score of 11–1. In the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification, the Seleção played one game against Switzerland in a neutral ground, held in Milan, losing 2–1 against the Swiss, ending qualification prospects; because of the international conflict due to the World War II, there was no World Cup held until the 1950 competition and subsequently, the national team made few games against other teams.
A 10–0 home friendly defeat against England, two years after the war, was the proof of how the irregularity of the games had taken its effects on the squad. On the restart of games, the team was to play a two-legged round against Spain, just like in the 1934 qualification. After a 5–1 defeat in Madrid, they managed to draw in the second game 2–2 and so the qualification ended with a 7–3 aggregate score. While they did not qualify on the pitch, they would be invited to replace Turkey, which had withdrawn from participating. For the qualification of the 1954 World Cup, the team would play Austria; the Austrians won the first game with a 9–1 result. The best the national team could do was hold the team to a goalless draw in Lisbon, the round ended with a 9–1 defeat. In the 1958 qualification, Portugal won a qualification match for the first time, 3–0 at home with Italy, they finished last in the group stage that featured Northern Ireland. The year 1960 was the year; the first edition was a knock-out tournament, the last four teams participating in final stage that only featured one leg while the older stages had two legs.
For the first round, the Seleção das Quinas won 2–0 against East Germany and 3–2 in Porto for the second leg, finishing with a 5–2 two-legged win. The quarter-final opponent was Yugoslavia. Despite winning the first game 2–1, they lost the second leg 5–1 in Belgrade, lost 6–3 on aggregate. England and Luxembourg were the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification adversaries of the national team. Portugal ended second behind England. Like in the previous World Cup qualification, only the first in the group would qualify. In the 1964 European Championship. Portugal played against Bulgaria in the first round; the Portuguese won in Lisbon. With the round tied 4–4, a replay was needed in a neutral ground. In Rome, Portugal lost 1–0. In the 1966 World Cup qualification, Portugal was drawn into the same group as Czechoslovakia and Turkey, they topped the group with only one draw and one defeat during all the six games and qualified for a FIFA World Cup, that year the final stage would be held in England. Notable results were both 1–0 away wins against Czechoslovakia and Turkey and a 5–1 home win against the Turks.
The team started out with three wins in the group stage where they were in Group C when they beat Hungary 3–1, Bulgaria 3–0, two-time defending champions Brazil 3–1. Secondly, they beat surprise quarter-finalist North Korea 5–3, with Eusébio getting four markers to overturn a 3–0 deficit, they reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by hosts England 2–1. Portugal defeated the Soviet Union 2–1 in the third place match for their best World Cup finish to date. Eusébio was the top scorer of the World Cup with nine goals. In the Euro 1972 qualifiers, Portugal had to win its group that comprised the teams of Belgium and Scotland. Portugal finished second to Belgium. For the 1974 qualification stages, Portugal were unable to defeat Bulgaria in the decisive match, thus not qualifying. Portugal faced tough competition from the strong Poland team for the place in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, they finished second place, behind Poland. The national team was put alongside Austria, Belgium, N
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Ran Ben Shimon; the team's first match took place on 23 July 1949, one year after becoming a member of the world governing body FIFA: a friendly against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Tel Aviv, ending in a 3–3 draw. Seven days the team had its first international game: a 3–1 defeat against Israel in the same city. In November 1960, following independence from British rule, Cyprus drew its first post-independence official match 1–1 against Israel, as part of the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament. Cyprus' first international victory was a 3–1 win against Greece on 27 November 1963 in a friendly. On 17 February 1968, Cyprus recorded their first competitive win, beating Switzerland 2–1 in a European Championship qualifying match in Old GSP Stadium in Nicosia.
In 1974, the national team enjoyed one of their most famous victories when they beat Northern Ireland 1–0 in Nicosia. On 12 February 1983, as part of the Euro 1984 qualifiers, Cyprus held world champions Italy to a 1–1 draw in Tsirio Stadium in Limassol, followed a month by the same result against Czechoslovakia. Four years in the Euro 1988 qualification, Cyprus recorded their first point achieved in an away match, against Poland. In 1989 they drew 1–1 with France in the World Cup qualifying match. Despite a number of triumphs on home soil, Cyprus had to wait until 1992 to record their first away win: a 2–0 victory against the Faroe Islands. Results in qualifying tournaments have improved in recent times. In the qualifying stages for the 1996 UEFA European Championship, Cyprus drew 1–1 with holders Denmark. Four years they missed out on a place in the 2000 European Football Championship despite 3–2 victories against both Spain and Israel and a 4–0 win over San Marino. On 15 November 2000, Cyprus scored their biggest win in history by beating Andorra in Limassol 5–0 in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification.
On 7 October 2006, as part of the Euro 2008 qualifiers, Cyprus caused a major upset by beating the Republic of Ireland 5–2 in New GSP Stadium in Nicosia, with Michalis Konstantinou and Constantinos Charalambides each scoring two goals and Alexandros Garpozis one goal. Just one month on 15 November 2006, they caused another surprise by holding the World Cup semi-finalists Germany to a 1–1 draw at home. On 13 October 2007, they beat Wales 3–1 in Nicosia. On 17 October 2007, Cyprus came close to a historic away victory in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland, but the hosts equalised in the last minute of the game, the match ended 1–1. On 3 September 2010, as part of the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Cyprus claimed a historic result against Portugal after drawing 4–4 in Guimarães. During the Euro 2016 qualifying, Cyprus national football team managed by Pambos Christodoulou claimed one of their most historic victories by defeating 2014 World Cup participant Bosnia with 2–1 in Zenica. In the last group match, the team faced Bosnia needing a victory to finish in 3rd and rely on Belgium to beat Israel in Brussels.
As fate would have it, the Bosnians won the reverse 3–2 and qualified to play-offs at the expense of the home team, who at one point took a 2–1 lead during first half and for number of minutes held onto 3rd spot and a berth in the play-offs for a first time in history, as Belgium, a soon to be World number 1 side, were comfortably beating Israel at home. Cyprus would finish behind Estonia and ahead of Gibraltar to place 5th of 6 teams in Group H in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, their qualification run would include an impressive 3-2 home victory over Bosnia. On 7 October 2006, a new kit was made by Diadora, it outlines a map of Cyprus in amber from the shoulder to the sleeve, with a green line running down the middle to indicate the division of the island. This kit was used for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, was replaced by a kit made by Adidas for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. For 2018 Macron will replace Adidas as part of the UEFA's Kit Assistance Scheme programme.
Cyprus plays home matches at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. Home matches had been staged at different stadiums all around the country; until 1974 Cyprus used either the old GSP Stadium in central Nicosia, or the GSE stadium in Famagusta. After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, some matches were played at Tsirion Stadium in Limassol and the Makario Stadium in Nicosia. In 1999, the building of the New GSP Stadium in Nicosia provided a new home for the national team but in 2008 a change of sponsorship forced home fixtures for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification to be played at the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium. However, Cyprus returned to the GSP Stadium; as of 9 June 2017. The fixtures were released by UEFA the same day as the draw, held on 2 December 2018 in Dublin. Times are CET/CEST, as listed by UEFA; the match schedule was released by UEFA on 26 July 2015, the day after the draw was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Times are CET/CEST, as listed by UEFA; the following players were called up for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against San Marino and Belgium on 21 and 24 March 2019 respectively.
The following players have been called up to the Cyprus squad within the last 12 months and are still available for selection. As of 24 March 2019; as of 10 October 2017 Official Site RSSSF archive of results 1949– RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers RS
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 505,526 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Its urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits with a population of around 2.8 million people, being the 11th-most populous urban area in the European Union. About 3 million people live including the Portuguese Riviera, it is the only one along the Atlantic coast. Lisbon lies in the western Iberian Peninsula on the River Tagus; the westernmost areas of its metro area form the westernmost point of Continental Europe, known as Cabo da Roca, located in the Sintra Mountains. Lisbon is recognised as an alpha-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group because of its importance in finance, media, arts, international trade and tourism. Lisbon is the only Portuguese city besides Porto to be recognised as a global city, it is one of the major economic centres on the continent, with a growing financial sector and one of the largest container ports on Europe's Atlantic coast.
Additionally, Humberto Delgado Airport served 26.7 million passengers in 2017, being the busiest airport in Portugal, the 3rd busiest in the Iberian Peninsula and the 20th busiest in Europe, the motorway network and the high-speed rail system of Alfa Pendular links the main cities of Portugal to Lisbon. The city is the 9th-most-visited city in Southern Europe, after Rome, Barcelona, Venice, Madrid and Athens, with 3,320,300 tourists in 2017; the Lisbon region contributes with a higher GDP PPP per capita than any other region in Portugal. Its GDP amounts to thus $32,434 per capita; the city occupies the 40th place of highest gross earnings in the world. Most of the headquarters of multinational corporations in Portugal are located in the Lisbon area, it is the political centre of the country, as its seat of Government and residence of the Head of State. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, one of the oldest in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London and Rome by centuries.
Julius Caesar made it. Ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century, it was captured by the Moors in the 8th century. In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city and since it has been a major political and cultural centre of Portugal. Unlike most capital cities, Lisbon's status as the capital of Portugal has never been granted or confirmed – by statute or in written form, its position as the capital has formed through constitutional convention, making its position as de facto capital a part of the Constitution of Portugal. One claim repeated in non-academic literature is that the name of Lisbon can be traced back to Phoenician times, referring to a Phoenician term Alis-Ubo, meaning "safe harbour". Roman authors of the first century AD referred to popular legends that the city of Lisbon was founded by the mythical hero Odysseus on his journey home from Troy. Although modern archaeological excavations show a Phoenician presence at this location since 1200 BC, neither of these folk etymologies has any historical credibility.
Lisbon's origin may in fact derive from Proto-Celtic or Celtic Olisippo, Lissoppo, or a similar name which other visiting peoples like the Ancient Phoenicians and Romans adapted accordingly. The name of the settlement may be derived from the pre-Roman appellation for the Tagus River, Lisso or Lucio. Lisbon's name was written Ulyssippo in Latin by a native of Hispania, it was referred to as "Olisippo" by Pliny the Elder and by the Greeks as Olissipo or Olissipona. Lisbon's name is abbreviated to'LX' or'Lx', originating in an antiquated spelling of Lisbon as ‘’Lixbõa’’. While the old spelling has since been dropped from usage and goes against modern language standards, the abbreviation is still used. During the Neolithic period, the region was inhabited by Pre-Celtic tribes, who built religious and funerary monuments, megaliths and menhirs, which still survive in areas on the periphery of Lisbon; the Indo-European Celts invaded in the 1st millennium BC, mixing with the Pre-Indo-European population, thus giving rise to Celtic-speaking local tribes such as the Cempsi.
Although the first fortifications on Lisbon's Castelo hill are known to be no older than the 2nd century BC, recent archaeological finds have shown that Iron Age people occupied the site from the 8th to 6th centuries BC. This indigenous settlement maintained commercial relations with the Phoenicians, which would account for the recent findings of Phoenician pottery and other material objects. Archaeological excavations made near the Castle of São Jorge and Lisbon Cathedral indicate a Phoenician presence at this location since 1200 BC, it can be stated with confidence that a Phoenician trading post stood on a site now the centre of the present city, on the southern slope of the Castle hill; the sheltered harbour in the Tagus River estuary was an ideal spot for an Iberian settlement and would have provided a secure harbour for unloading and provisioning Phoenician ships. The Tagus settlement was an important centre of commercial trade with the inland tribes, providing an outlet for the valuable metals and salted-fish they collected, for the sale of the Lusitanian horses renowned in antiquity.
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