Nani Out Of World Cup, Portugal Defeats Mozambique

As the 2010 World Cup approaches, the early theme of the event has been how many big stars will be missing the renowned tournament. The German team will be without Michael Ballack, the English team will be without Rio Ferdinand, Ghana will miss Michael Essien, Didier Drogba is out for the Ivory Coast and now Portugal can add to the injury list.

On Tuesday, before Portugal took care of business against Mozambique in a World Cup friendly, it became official that they will be without Manchester United star Nani for the upcoming World Cup of Football.

It’s not like this growing reserve of injuries is going to keep anyone from watching the World Cup but soccer betting fans might be a little deterred from betting the injury-plagued squads.


Portugal was considered a dark horse by many to make a prolonged run this tournament but their main flaw happens to be goal scoring. Clearly, in a 3-0 win over Mozambique, you wouldn’t notice any lacking, but against the best teams – and players – in the world, it should become evident.

The Portuguese team was hoping to get a boost with Nani on the roster, who has such an excellent burst of energy and speed up front. He’s a creative player that adds another threat on the field – one that can definitely distract defensive attention away from Cristiano Ronaldo or finish some of his excellent passes.

Now the Portuguese team will be without one less weapon and that’s something they can ill-afford. Portugal is currently 16-1 on the World Cup odds but you may want to reconsider given the the loss of Nani.