Portugal coach Paulo Bento lost his job yesterday 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.

“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.

Under the guidance of the former Benfica midfielder, Portugal qualified for the 2012 European Championships via the playoffs but were knocked out of the tournament on penalties by eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals.

Portugal required the playoffs once again to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Brazil but, despite boasting Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo among their ranks, struggled throughout the tournament.

Bento’s side began their campaign with a 4-0 loss against Germany and although they drew 2-2 with the United States and beat Ghana 2-1, they failed to reach the knockout stages.

Portugal’s next Euro 2016 qualifier is against Denmark on Oct. 14.

The federation said it would announce its next move shortly.