The kneejerk reaction following a club’s biggest ever European defeat would be to lash out at the manager and players that contributed to a shameful night, but such sentiments should not be reserved for Everton’s humbling at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz on Thursday.

Woeful they may have been, but this was an Everton side fatally flawed by fitness problems, and facing a formidable force in the shape of an inspired home side.

Above anything else, Benfica were immense. Their Argentinian contingent, especially, were outstanding. With playmaker Pablo Aimar running rings around a static Everton midfield, Angel Di Maria providing a stream of threatening crosses and lighting up the game with his skill, as well as Javier Saviola applying the most clinical of cutting edges, the Portuguese club were far too strong for their under strength opponents.

Of course it was Oscar Cardozo, of Paraguay, who sparked Everton’s capitulation at the start of the second half with two goals in the space of 60 seconds, before Brazilian defender Luisao headed in a fourth just four minutes later. It was a veritable festival of South American exuberance and class.

But at the heart of it all was the aforementioned Di Maria. Although hardly an unknown given he started the match that took Argentina to the World Cup finals earlier this month, Thursday’s game may have been many supporters’ first introduction to the electric winger.

The rapturous crowd at the Estadio da Luz witnessed an illuminating display of brilliance from Di Maria, who is fulfilling the promise he first showed when setting the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup alight in Canada.

Tormenting Dan Gosling at every opportunity, showcasing a crossing ability that would make David Beckham green with envy and pulling out all manner of tricks, Di Maria was a whirling dervish of ebullience and brilliance, and Everton just could not cope with him.

But it was not altogether surprising. Witness the players missing from David Moyes’ backline alone: Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Joseph Yobo, Johnny Heitinga and Lucas Neill. Sylvain Distin aside, that left Moyes with the raw Gosling, a debutant in Seamus Coleman and an unnatural central defender, Tony Hibbert, who usually looks out of his depth at his favoured position of right back.

Much like the 6-1 hammering at the hands of Arsenal on the opening day of the season, Thursday night was not a true reflection of where Everton stand under Moyes. At full strength they are still easily one of England's better sides, and are also missing captain Phil Neville and midfield inspirations Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar at present.

Against a side that have taken 19 points from seven domestic games, and found a new lease of life under Jorge Jesus, Everton were always likely to struggle, even if the manner of some of the performances from senior players – notably Hibbert when completely giving up for Saviola’s second goal – will grate with Moyes.

Everton still have six points from their opening three games in Group I, two of which were away from home, and have the chance to exact revenge on Benfica when the Portuguese side visit Goodison on November 5. If they have a deeper pool of talent to choose from on the night, then Moyes will coax a much more memorable performance from his talented team, and one that reflects more adequately their ability and standing.

He may be an awful egotist, a theatrical prima donna, a perma-tanned preener and a smirking winker, but the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo still has a chance of being at the World Cup finals is one that we should all be grateful for.

South Africa 2010 without Ronaldo would be like watching the X-Factor without Simon Cowell. A lot more palatable perhaps, but you always need a pantomime villain and a figure who provides pure entertainment. It is a guilty pleasure to feel comforted that those outrageous flicks, bedazzling stepovers and surging runs could be evident come June.

The injured Ronaldo did not even feature on Wednesday night when a 4-0 win over Malta secured Portugal’s spot in the European play-offs, courtesy of goals from Nani, Simao Sabrosa, Miguel Veloso and Edinho, but just a week ago the country looked to be in real danger of elimination.

A win over Hungary on Saturday, in which Ronaldo suffered his ankle problem, was the crucial result for under-fire coach Carlos Queiroz and, after a third victory in succession, the boss can now prepare for a two-legged tie which will determine whether his side reach the finals.

It is debateable whether they deserve to. Having lost to Denmark and drawn with Albania and Sweden at home, Portugal have not played to anywhere near their potential, even if their current crop of players pales into comparison with the ‘golden generation’ of Luis Figo and Manuel Rui Costa.

Real questions remain over Queiroz - who failed to qualify for Euro ‘92 and the World Cup finals in 1994 in his previous spell as manager - and results have been poor. But they have produced when required and momentum is growing ahead of the play-offs, where they will face one of Ireland, Bosnia, Slovenia or Ukraine. All eminently winnable fixtures.

Whether Portugal have enough to win the tournament outright, should they negotiate the play-offs, is debateable. Ronaldo is by far and away their star figure with players such as Deco and Simao mere understudies to the leading man.

But whatever your opinion of Ronaldo the person, the celebrity, there is no doubting that the World Cup needs to showcase the world’s best players. Just think of Pele in 1970, Diego Maradona in 1986 and Zinedine Zidane in 2006 (irrespective of his moment of madness in the final). The huge sigh of relief from Nike’s marketing department alone is audible enough.

Infuriating he may be, but Ronaldo is indisputably one of the global greats and it was a relief on Wednesday to see Portugal sneak into that play-off spot. Now the onus is on the forward, should he recover from injury, to ensure he reaches the stage he deserves when the play-offs come around in November.

At Euro 2004, the closest he has come to glory in the international arena, Ronaldo left the Lisbon field in tears as Portugal were denied a home victory by Greece. That pain will not have subsided and, with Ronaldo at his inspirational best, South Africa could be the setting for his crowning glory.

That he is still in with a chance of reaching the finals means we could all have the pleasure of seeing whether he can live up to the hype.

What has been happening to young footballers recently? In the space of a day we have learnt of police having to deal with an alleged drugs offence and conspiracy to rob, from some of the game's top young stars.

When did playing for a Premier League football team become so boring that you have to turn to crime in order to lighten up your life?

While it is not a surprise that some players have somewhat unsatisfactory habits outside of the game, it is something that has to be addressed. These players are role models for millions of children around the world and stories like this, enhanced by the tabloids of course, lead to negative headlines for not just the clubs or the players, but the game as a whole.

The life of a Premier League footballer cannot be easy, having every minute detail of your life dragged through the press and constant speculation and analysis over your on-pitch performances; but that is no excuse for a lack of focus. They should view the opportunity to play a game for living as a massive privilege and should act, accordingly, with a modicum of respect.

Football has often been used as a way, especially in developing countries, for getting away from a life of crime. Now it seems that the prospect of a high-profile career and life of financial security is proving too much to handle for some and, unfortunately, that devalues the stories of so many who have worked so hard to disassociate themselves from their upbringing.

The question will be asked: Are young players given too much? Only this week, Dutch legend Johan Cryuff came out and attacked the length of contracts for youngsters, claiming that if they were given a six-year deal then they would not be hungry enough to continue pushing themselves at the highest level.

Cryuff was using the example of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi - a player who you would struggle to criticise in any aspect of his life - but the basics of his theory can certainly be applied to those seeking to make a name for themselves in the English game.

Clearly a player of Messi's potential and credibility can be trusted, but give a troubled young player a short-term deal, based on adherence to a number of factors off the pitch as well as on it, and you may not find they are so quick to turn to other distractions; especially when the security of their career is not quite so safe.

Fines will only go so far in curbing bad behaviour (given the nature of their pay packets), but once the police are involved and the case is proven in a court of law, there should be no hesitation in sacking players who step out of line. The world is full of youngsters who would kill for the opportunities that professional players get; it’s just a shame that many of those who are lucky enough to have that chance, don’t realise it.

Let me try and paint a picture for you. It is Saturday, May 17 2008 and Portsmouth have just won the FA Cup on the club’s 110th birthday. Sol Campbell, Niko Kranjčar, Lassana Diarra, Sulley Muntari, David James - they all played in the final. Nwankwo Kanu prodded home a 37th minute winner to seal the club’s first major cup triumph for 69 years with a 1-0 victory over Cardiff. Harry Redknapp lifts the cup aloft as then-executive chairman Peter Storrie and owner Alexandre Gaydamak grin from ear-to-ear. It is the start of something special at Portsmouth.

Ben Smith: Portsmouth correspondent

Fast forward 513 days and Pompey sit rock-bottom of the table, holding the unwelcome record of worst start in Premier League history after seven straight defeats. The lofty dreams of Wembley 18 months ago are in tatters. Hopes of regular European action, played out in a brand new 40,000-seater stadium have evaporated.

Sulaiman al-Fahim took over the club in the summer with promises of grandeur; this was an investor to steady the ship of a club leaking players left, right and centre. But it was empty promise after empty promise from the man who handed Pompey fans another reason to buy the Guinness book of records, when on Monday, he became the shortest-serving club owner in Premier League history, at 42 days.

News of Al-Fahim’s departure came two days after a liberating first victory of the season at Wolves, and has given Pompey fans cause to believe there could be a new dawn at Fratton Park.

Last week, Phil Brown and his Hull squad experienced an epiphany when, on a walk around the city, they convinced a woman not to end it all by jumping off a bridge. This week, chief executive Peter Storrie has conducted a rescue operation of his own, and handed Pompey a lifeline, a chance for salvation.

Little is known about millionaire Saudi Arabian Ali al-Faraj, but after the job that “Dr” Al-Fahim has managed, the Pompey fans would have been equally happy had Paul Merson thrown his hat in the ring to run the club.

What is known about Al-Faraj is that Storrie originally wanted to sell to him when Gaydamak decided to offload the club, but the Russian went against him and chose the ill-fated Al-Fahim. With Storrie’s continued involvement in Portsmouth, you feel there remains a glimmer of hope for a club that has sold no fewer than 21 players from the successful 2007-08 squad.

The win at Molineux and the Al Faraj takeover could well have a galvanising affect on the club. This time last year, it was Juande Ramos’ Tottenham Hotspur who were languishing at the foot of the Premier League, with a mere two points from their first eight games.

Pompey have three, so that’s something to smile about. But Spurs were able to call on Harry “Houdini” Redknapp to conjure their way into a top-ten finish, and no matter how the rumours fly around Fratton Park, the only return Harry will be making to Pompey is when he takes his impressive Spurs side there in two weeks time.

Current manager Paul Hart has struggled through with limited resources and now, even with financial backing, will find it difficult to attract players with enough Premier League calibre to help the club survive. Hart’s side oozes mediocrity, mainly because he was rushed to assemble a squad which would at least give Pompey the chance to compete. But his players appear to want to play for him, which is often half the battle in a Premier League where dressing-room rifts are commonplace and this could be the difference between survival and failure for Portsmouth.

It is difficult to predict how things will develop at Pompey, but they have provided a clear example of how foreign ownership of Premier League clubs isn’t all smiling sheikhs, oligarchs and galacticos.

It may have been ill-advised, but Emmanuel Adebayor's goal celebration against old club Arsenal two weeks ago was surely born out of emotion rather than a desire to incite the fans. Pre-planned? Possible but I'd say unlikely.

The Football Association has shown a rare moment of sanity in not handing the Togo international a further ban, in addition to the three-games for his attack on Robin van Persie in the same game.

The 25-year-old had been the subject of taunts from Arsenal fans throughout the match and his goal 10 minutes from time brought both relief and joy; perhaps he did lose his head. Had Adebayor actually gone right up to the Arsenal fans it would have been different. But he didn't, stopping at least 20 yards short of a group of supporters who were never his greatest fans.

And let's also remember that the player was booked at the time by referee Mark Clattenburg. Why all of a sudden does the FA see fit to take further action against a player who has already been dealt with by the referee?

I'm sure Barnsley's Iain Hume must be wondering just that after the FA failed to take further action against Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan. In November last year, Morgan was booked for a vicious elbow which left Hume with a fractured skull. He needed emergency operations and was out of football for nine months. Despite several complaints from Barnsley, the FA refused to take any further action claiming the matter had been dealt with in the course of the match.

It would have been very easy for the FA to throw the book at Adebayor when you take into account the scenes during the West Ham-Millwall Carling Cup tie and the sensitivities over a possible pitch invasion. That said, why was Junior Stanislas not brought to book over his celebration in front of the Millwall fans after scoring the 87th minute leveller? Considering what was going on in east London that night the actions of Stanislas were foolhardy and liable to lead to major trouble. Stanislas' actions were arguably worse.

Adebayor, of course, has not got away without recriminations, with a suspended two-match ban and £25,000 fine handed down.

He will have to curb his behaviour until the end of next year to escape that ban though a goal at the Emirates in the return fixture on April 24, just three games before the end of the season and what could be a Champions League shootout, sounds like bother.