Portugal and Mexico will end up being disappointed with their results in the Confederations Cup. They're both going to get an opportunity to play one last match in Russia against the other, but finishing third place in this tournament isn't going to be anything that either nation will revel in.
This Confederations Cup duel will go down Sunday, July 2, 2017, at 8 a.m. ET at Otkrytiye Arena. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Portugal +125
Mexico +200
Draw +225
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
These third place matches are always relatively high scoring, so the total of a flat 3 shouldn't be all that surprising even though these teams combined to score just one goal over 210 minutes in the Confederations Cup semifinals.
Portugal should have the slight leg up in this third place game, though the margin here isn't all that great with A Seleccao set at +125. El Tri can be had at +200 on the moneyline over the course of 90 minutes.
How They Got Here
The most disappointment part here for Mexico is how badly it has played in its biggest matches in recent years. Sure, the team has a couple good results over the United States and a few of the CONCACAF sides, but stepping outside of North America has been a big problem. In the Mexican's last two matches in knockout rounds against international competitions, they've been beaten 4-1 by Germany and 7-0 by Chile.
Mexico did take care of business in Group A, drawing with this Portugal side and beating Russia and New Zealand, but even if this match is won, all the news reports are still likely going to be calling for Juan Carlos Osorio's head.
Portugal will also be overly disappointed. Just as Mexico had seven points from Group A, the same was true for A Seleccao. Their match against Chile was quite disappointing. The fact that the team didn't end up scoring in 120 minutes against the South American champs won't sit well at home. It wasn't a devastating loss, especially since Portugal is still in love with this team after it won the Euros a year ago. Still, a second straight loss in this tournament would be a major setback.
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It's not that Portugal was bad against Chile; Claudio Bravo was just up to the task. A Seleccao were bright from the opening whistle, and it wasn't until the end of that semifinal that they really started to lose the upper hand. The argument could be made that Portugal was the better team and deserved to advance.
Let's also not forget that Portugal was the better of these two teams when they met way back at the beginning of this tournament. A Seleccao had leads of 1-0 and 2-1, both of which they ultimately blew, and we suspect they'll hang onto the edge when they get it this time around.
The key is clearly Cristiano Ronaldo. Time and time again, when CR7 finds the back of the net, the Portuguese win. When he doesn't, they virtually never do. He was held off the score sheet and was relatively silent in the first meeting of these two teams; it was a miracle that Portugal scored two goals without him. With Ronaldo theoretically playing a better game this time around, he should lead his nation to third place, a result that should be looked upon with acceptance back at home.
Confederations Cup Odds: Portugal 3, Mexico 1
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