Coach Paulo Bento has this evening left the Portugal national team by mutual consent according to the Portuguese Football Federation.

The 45-year old was appointed to the position in September 2010 and had only signed a contract extension in April this year that would have kept him at the helm until the end of the 2016 European Championship in France.

During his four-year spell, Bento led Portugal to the last four of the 2012 European Championship before enduring a disappointing 2014 World Cup campaign where the nation was knocked out from the group stage.

The former Portugal international’s last match as national tem coach was the shock 1-0 loss suffered at Albania in a Euro 2016 qualifying match.