As if a shock 2-1 defeat to ten-man Gambia were not bad enough, Portugal's miserable evening in Montreal turned into a nightmare when inspirational captain Bruno Gama was ruled out of the remainder of the competition. There was no inkling of the drama ahead when the Braga man went down following a seemingly innocuous second-half challenge.

After receiving immediate treatment on the touchline from the Portuguese medical staff however, the striker was stretchered off and it was not long before the Lusitanians' worst fears were confirmed: a fractured metarsal and an early flight home.

With two goals to his name already, the No 7 will be sorely missed by his struggling team-mates, who also saw Andres Marques hobble off, a further cause for concern for coach Jose Couceiro as he ponders his dwindling options ahead of Portugal's meeting with Chile in the Round of 16. Whatever else happens to the accident-prone Portuguese in Canada, they will not forget their misadventure in Montreal in a hurry.