Portugal's path to this year's European Championship hit a rocky patch that brought the controversial dismissal of coach Carlos Queiroz and recalled a long catalog of self-defeating disputes that have dogged the national team.
Hallmark flair and talent on the field have occasionally fallen afoul of hotheaded behavior at international tournaments and unsettling off-pitch incidents.
As Portugal readied for its Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Queiroz was already a target for wide criticism after a disappointing performance at the 2010 World Cup, where third-ranked Portugal went out in the second round.
Then a 4-4 draw at home against lowly Cyprus followed by a 1-0 loss at Norway constituted Portugal's worst start to a qualifying series since 1996. Queiroz ended up being fired for misconduct in a months-long headline-grabbing saga over whether he had disrupted a doping test of his players.
Paulo Bento replaced him but ended up feuding with established players. Bento banished center back Ricardo Carvalho after the Real Madrid defender, angry he was going to be a substitute, walked out of the squad ahead of a qualifier against Denmark. Bento then ostracized right back Jose Bosingwa, accusing him of faking an injury - an accusation the Chelsea player angrily denied.
Such off-the-field tension has a familiar ring in Portugal.
At the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the Portugal squad announced it was going on strike over prize money, advertising revenue and training camp conditions. The so-called Saltillo Affair is viewed as one of the darkest chapters in Portuguese football history. Portugal, which had qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in 20 years, finished at the bottom of its group.
The national temperament was called into question again at Euro 2000. In a semifinal match against France, the game turned ugly after Zinedine Zidane converted a penalty kick with three minutes left in sudden-death extra time and the French won 2-1.
Portuguese players seethed at the penalty decision and rounded on the referee and a linesman. Abel Xavier was suspended from international competition for six months, Nuno Gomes got a seven-month ban and Bento - now the national coach - was given a five-month penalty for trying to snatch a red card from the referee's hand.
''In the heat of battle, you make mistakes,'' Bento said.
The 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan delivered another miserable episode. Striker Joao Pinto, sent off for a nasty tackle in Portugal's 1-0 loss to South Korea, lost his temper and punched the referee in the stomach. Pinto was given a six-month ban and Portugal went out after the first round.
A Portuguese Football Federation report into that tournament disclosed an atmosphere of deep antagonism and simmering feuds among coaching staff.
Four years later, at the World Cup in Germany, the Portuguese were at the center of the Battle of Nuremberg. Two Portuguese and two Dutch players were sent off in Portugal's 1-0 win over the Netherlands that featured four red cards and 16 yellows - a World Cup record.
''Portugal is not a violent team but sometimes we are portrayed as being undisciplined,'' said Luiz Felipe Scolari, the national coach at the time.
But it wasn't long before the Brazilian was in hot water for his conduct, too. After the final whistle in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Serbia in 2007, Scolari aimed a punch at Ivica Dragutinovic. UEFA handed him a two-month ban for assault.
Success in Poland and Ukraine may depend on whether the Portuguese can keep their tempers in check.
