Wednesday 1 July 2015 17:05, UK
Portugal may not have won the U21 Euros but they dominate the statistical team of the tournament, according to WhoScored.com...
Sweden's success at the European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic should have given plenty of international sides heart at all levels of the game. It's a story of how persistence and organisation can defy the odds over a short string of matches, akin to Greece's shock victory at the senior tournament 11 years ago.
That may seem like a bold statement but Hakan Ericson's achievement with his side should rank among such underdog heroics.
Having been within minutes of missing out on the tournament proper against a hugely impressive France side, Sweden booked their place against the odds and would do the same in reaching the knockout stages.
An 89th-minute equaliser against Portugal - who they would later face in the final - ensured that they would play Denmark in the semis. That outcome came despite Italy's victory over England, having come from behind to beat the Azzurini in the group opener - playing for over an hour with 10 men - to eventually ensure progression courtesy of their head-to-head record.
Written off throughout the tournament, they humbled a well-fancied Danish side on a route to glory that was otherwise similar to that of Greece. They too had to play Portugal in the group stages as well as the final, and they too dispatched some of the favourites along the way.
Like Otto Rehagel's side, their success was borne out of a togetherness within a team that wasn't reliant on any one individual. They couldn't fall back on a Bernardo Silva or a Harry Kane. In truth, it's perhaps unlikely that any of their players would have even made the squad for pre-tournament favourites Germany.
Ericson's men may not have had the glamour of the beaten finalists but were worthy winners for the sheer quality of the adversaries that they had to overcome. Sweden were the team of the tournament in the truest sense of the word, but none of their players make up WhoScored's top-rated XI due to the fact that they were exactly that. A team. They didn't possess the individual brilliance of any of their opponents along the way.
Instead, it was Portugal who really caught the eye this summer, eventually unable to outdo the exploits of their previous golden generation of 1994, who also lost in the final. That said, the future still looks very bright for a senior side that have been so very dull in recent years.
As many as seven Portugal players make up WhoScored.com's top rated XI, starting with ‘keeper Jose Sa. Despite having made at least seven more saves than any other keeper at the tournament, Sa conceded just once, courtesy of Simon Tibbling's aforementioned leveller late on in the final game of Group B for a rating of 7.54.
Compatriots Paulo Oliveira (7.64) - ranking among the top five players for both interceptions (three) and clearances (8.4) per game - and Raphael Guerreiro (7.17) join the defensive ranks, with the latter providing Portugal's width on the left given their narrow midfield set-up.
The back four is made up of Czech Republic's Pavel Kaderabek (7.26) - who scored the opening goal of the tournament on the same day that he secured a move to Hoffenheim - on the right, and former Hoffenheim centre-back Jannik Vestergaard. The Denmark captain will have gained plenty of admirers following his commanding displays at the back, earning a rating of 7.52 from WhoScored and winning the second most aerial duels at the tournament (16).
Breaking up an otherwise all-Portugal midfield is Czech Republic star Ondrej Petrak, who, despite crashing out at the group stages, was the only player to register more than one assist. With no player averaging more tackles and interceptions per game combined (6.7), the 23-year old garnered a rating of 7.84.
It's William Carvalho who misses out at Petrak's expense after a slightly underwhelming performance in the final - missing the decisive spot kick in the shoot-out - but Sergio Oliveira (7.96) and Joao Mario (7.88) kept their places as the two highest-rated players at the tournament. The former made more key passes than any other player (13), as well as completing the same number of dribbles, while Mario scored twice as well as maintaining a superb 90.4 per cent pass accuracy.
Ahead of the trio in midfield, Bernardo Silva lived up to expectations with a string of dazzling displays for a rating of 7.74 from WhoScored. The Monaco man's trickery enabled him to complete almost twice as many dribbles (27) as any other player at the tournament.
Top scorer Jan Kliment unsurprisingly secured the highest WhoScored.com rating of any player in a single game (10), netting a hat-trick as hosts Czech Republic completed a 4-0 rout over Serbia. Like team-mate Kaderabek, he too has now secured a move to the Bundesliga with Stuttgart, as well as an average rating of 7.71 over three appearances. Meanwhile, Portugal front man Ricardo Pereira completes the XI, registering a goal and an assist as well as winning 3.3 aerial duels per game for a score of 7.31.
It's clear that Portugal's players were the real stand-out performers this summer but, despite boasting 60 per cent of possession and 20 shots in the final, they couldn't get the better of Sweden. The Scandinavians just never knew when they were beaten, and ultimately they weren't!
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings. You can follow all the scores, statistics, live player and team ratings with their new free-to-download iOS and Android app.
