Through the performances of its European representatives, Portugal has once again narrowed the gap with the Netherlands in the UEFA rankings.
Sixth place is getting closer and closer for Portugal. After having won no less than two successes on the European scene during this week, the Portuguese clubs have managed to get ever closer to their main competitor, the Netherlands.
A saving Thursday for Portugal
If it had started rather badly, with Sporting's defeat against Club Brugge (2-1) and the draw conceded by Benfica against Bologna (0-0), the Portuguese clubs ended the week with a bang. In addition to Braga's defeat at AS Roma in the Europa League (3-0), FC Porto and Vitoria SC both raised Portugal's hopes this Thursday. Indeed, the Dragões won with a score of two goals to zero at home against Midtjylland, while Vitoria SC validated a new victory in the Conference League against St. Gallen (1-4).
A record of two victories, a draw and two defeats, which allows Portugal to take no less than 5 points in the UEFA rankings. 5 points that must be divided by 5, to obtain the real progress of the Portuguese in the UEFA ranking, namely 1,000 points. A much greater advance than that of the Netherlands, still sixth, who feel the Portuguese breath intensifying.
The Netherlands is standing still
Indeed, the Dutch clubs still competing in the competitions have experienced less success than their Portuguese counterparts. This week, only Feyenoord managed to emerge victorious from their European duel, while AZ and Twente each achieved draws. The two historic juggernauts of the Eredivisie, namely Ajax and PSV, both lost, failing to bring a point to the Dutch nation during this week.
With only one victory and two draws, the Netherlands obtained 4 points over the week. Points that must be divided by 6, i.e. the number of Dutch clubs involved in European competitions at the start of the season, to obtain a real advance of 0.667 points over the week.
Portugal narrows gap in UEFA rankings
With 1,000 points gleaned over the week, compared to only 0.667 points for the main competitor, Portugal managed to reduce the gap with the Netherlands. If the ranks have not changed, the Portuguese threat appears to be increasingly weighing on the Dutch, who could well lose their sixth place in the coming weeks.
Portugal now has 57,416 points in the ranking, compared to 59,900 for the Netherlands. Thus, only 2,484 units separate the two nations, both eager to finish the exercise in sixth position in this European ranking. The dynamic is clearly in favor of the Portuguese, who will be able to rely on a privilege, and not the least. Taking into account the number of European representatives available to the two competing nations, Portuguese victories on the European scene are worth 0.400 points (2/5), compared to 0.333 (2/6) for the Netherlands. It remains to be seen whether Portuguese clubs will be able to take advantage of this extremely favorable context to achieve their objective.
The Top 8 of the UEFA ranking as of 12/13/2024
1 – England – 98.017 points
2 – Italy – 86.856 points
3 – Spain – 81.275 points
4 – Germany – 78,160 points
5 – France – 64,950 points
6 – Pays-Bas – 59,900 points
7 – Portugal – 57,416 points
8 – Belgium – 51,800 points
Photo credit: Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Alexandre Ribeiro launched the Trivela.fr site in 2019 and today runs it alongside his colleagues. Passionate about Portuguese football as a whole, and in particular the Portuguese national team, it is with all his energy and involvement that he brings this media to life on a daily basis.
