Portugal coach Paulo Bento lost his job on Thursday after a calamitous start to the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign following a dismal World Cup.
The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed his departure, which had looked inevitable after the shock 1-0 home defeat by rank outsiders Albania on Sunday, in a statement and said the decision had been mutual.
Portugal fans booed the team after the defeat to Albania, heaping pressure on the coach, and the 45-year-old admitted the performance had not been good enough.
"We are all frustrated because of the result"
"I'm not making excuses," Bento said. "It wasn't a lack of commitment on the part of my players but we weren't efficient enough, while Albania were very efficient.
"We are all frustrated because of the result. We could have done better, even though I think we were not that bad."
After a solid spell in charge of Sporting, where his side qualified for the Champions League for four consecutive seasons, Bento replaced Carlos Queiroz as manager of the Portuguese national team in 2010.
