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Portugal have ruled Fabio Coentrao out of the World Cup, one day after he left Portugal's opening game against Germany on a stretcher. - Torre: Portugal wilt at the World Cup
- Paulo Bento urges focus Coentrao, who was deployed in a midfield role for the match, asked to be taken off in the 62nd minute while clutching his adductor, clearly in a lot of pain. After an MRI on Tuesday, Portugal said in a statement that Coentrao had a grade 2 muscle strain in his right thigh, and he would not be able to recover in time to resume playing in Brazil. "According to the clinical and imaging severity, the player Fabio Coentrao is unfit for competition for a period exceeding the duration of the World Cup," Portugal's statement said. Before the official announcement, Coentrao had speculated that he would not be able to return. "I honestly think the World Cup is over for me. I'm sure it's a serious injury although I hope I'm wrong," he said. "Sadly, these things happen in this job. It's a sad day, one of the saddest of my life but it's only the first game and despite the result, we could still get through to the next round." Portugal also provided updates on forward Hugo Almeida and goalkeerper Rui Patricio, who also underwent MRIs on Tuesdays on thigh injuries. Both players may be able to return during the World Cup, the team revealed. Portugal are bottom of Group G following the 4-0 defeat to Germany. They play the United States next on Sunday, followed by Ghana to conclude the group stage.
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