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June 21 : Portugal had plenty of the ball in their World Cup opener but little bite and Roberto Martinez’s side return to Houston on Tuesday needing a sharper attacking display against Uzbekistan after a frustrating 1-1 draw with Democratic Republic of Congo.
The numbers told a familiar cautionary tale. According to Opta, Portugal completed 783 passes against the Africans, fewer only than Spain’s 800, and topped the possession chart with 75 per cent.
Yet all that control produced seven shots and only one on target — Joao Neves’s…
