Eusebio leaves hospital

Warsaw - Portugal legend Eusebio, in hospital in Poland with high blood pressure since the weekend, has been discharged and is heading home, the local authorities in the western city of Poznan said on Wednesday.

"The patient's progress, recuperation and health justified the decision to leave the hospital," Tomasz Stube, spokesperson for the prefect of Poznan, was quoted as saying by the Polish news agency PAP.

Eusebio was in Poland as an ambassador for the Portugal Football Federation (FPF) during Euro 2012 and was taken to hospital on Saturday evening after falling ill.

The Portuguese media have been closely tracking the 70-year-old's health since he was treated for pneumonia last January and a previous bout of high blood pressure in February.

Nicknamed "The Black Panther", Eusebio made his name as a player for Benfica, helping them win the forerunner of the Champions League, the European Cup, in 1962.

He won the Ballon d'Or in 1965 and led Portugal to a third-place finish in the 1966 World Cup, where he was top goalscorer.

Portugal take on Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2012 on Wednesday evening.