Portugal coach quits in wake of defeat to Albania

Lisbon, Sep 12 : Portugal coach Paulo Bento has stepped down by mutual agreement following a shock 0-1 defeat to Albania, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said in a statement issued on their website.

"The Portuguese Football Federation is communicating that Sep 11, Paulo Bento's contractual obligations to FPF and in the service of the national team has come to an end. This was a joint decision between the board of the FPF and Paulo Bento," the statement said, reports Xinhua.

Bento had been in charge of the team since 2010 and led them to qualifying for both Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.

Bento's role had been under scrutiny since a poorer-than-expected performance in the World Cup in Brazil saw the Portuguese national team knocked out in the group stages. 

The defeat in the Euro 2016 qualifying match against Albania had Portuguese fans waving white handkerchiefs to call for the troubled coach to be sacked.

Bento's successor has yet to be named although the FPF said it was, "working on a structured solution to lead our national teams and that will be announced soon".

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