Three days. That's all the rest these young men get before they're back in the trenches, and that tells you everything you need to know about the intensity of this rivalry. When Portugal edged Germany 2-1 on Thursday in a match that went down to an 85th-minute winner, you could see it in the German players' faces—the devastation, the disbelief, the desperate need for redemption. Now they've got their chance, and this one's going to be absolutely electric.
Let's be honest about what we witnessed three days ago. Portugal nicked it late, and fair play to them, but Germany will have watched that back and identified twenty different moments where they should have put the game to bed. That's the thing about this German side—they create chances. Look at their demolition jobs before the Portugal defeat: four past Italy, five against Switzerland with Paris Brunner and Kjell Wätjen running riot. They're not struggling to score; they're a goal machine that hit a speed bump at precisely the wrong moment.
Portugal, meanwhile, have found something special in this run. Three wins on the bounce, and while the goals haven't been flowing like a tap—just over two goals per game in that stretch—they've developed that winning mentality that's worth its weight in gold at youth level. There's a resilience there, a belief that when things get tight, they'll find a way. That late winner on Thursday wasn't luck; it was character. But here's the uncomfortable truth for the Portuguese: can you really play with fire twice in the same week and not get burned?
The psychological element here is absolutely fascinating. Germany have historically dominated this fixture, winning four of the eight meetings between these sides, and they'll be reminding their players of that legacy in every team talk. When you've been beaten by a side you've traditionally had the measure of, and you know you created enough to win comfortably, that's when the best teams respond. The question is whether this young German group has that steel, that mentality to impose themselves from the first whistle.
Think about what goes through a player's mind when they've just lost a match they dominated. You're lying in bed replaying every missed chance, every defensive lapse. The coaching staff will have drilled into them exactly where it went wrong—probably that early goal Portugal scored in the 8th minute that allowed them to sit deep and counter. Germany won't make that mistake again. They can't afford to give Portugal the lead and let them play their natural game, because when you're chasing against a team with momentum and belief, you're asking for trouble.
The tactical battle will be won in the middle of the park. Germany's approach has been about overwhelming opponents with their attacking options—when you're putting five past Switzerland, you're not playing cautiously. But Portugal have mastered the art of absorbing pressure and hitting teams when they're at their most vulnerable. That 85th-minute winner wasn't a moment of magic; it was a team that stayed disciplined for 84 minutes and then executed when legs were tired and concentration wavered.
Here's where it gets interesting: Germany are averaging two goals per game in their recent run, even with that defeat factored in. They've got genuine firepower with Brunner leading the line and Wätjen capable of changing a game in minutes—he scored twice in quick succession against Switzerland, showing the kind of ruthlessness that wins matches at this level. But creating chances and taking them are two different things entirely, and Thursday proved they're not quite clinical enough yet.
Portugal's form line looks modest on paper—under a goal per game in their last three—but sometimes football isn't about the numbers. It's about finding a way to win when you're not at your best, and that's exactly what they've been doing. The problem is, against a German side that's been scoring for fun and will be absolutely seething from that defeat, you can't rely on nicking another late winner. At some point, you have to stand up and be counted for 90 minutes.
The reality is this: Germany should win this match. They're the better side, they create more chances, they've got more goals in them. But football doesn't care about "should." Portugal have something precious—momentum, belief, and the knowledge that they've already beaten this opponent three days ago. When the whistle goes and those players cross that white line, all the statistics and form guides go out the window. What matters is which team handles the pressure better, which group of young players can cope with the weight of expectation.
Germany will come flying out of the blocks, desperate to right the wrongs of Thursday. If they score early, this could get ugly for Portugal. But if Portugal weather that early storm, if they can frustrate Germany for 20 or 30 minutes and plant that seed of doubt—"here we go again"—then we might just witness another Portuguese masterclass in game management. The beautiful game rarely follows the script, and that's exactly why we can't look away.