Portuguese defender Nuno Mendes was interviewed by the media in the mixed area of the stadium after Portugal's win over Turkey. He analyzed the difference between Portugal's performance against Turkey and against the Czech Republic, and talked about the impact of Turkey's tactics on Portugal's attack, as well as his personal feelings about returning to the left back position.
When asked if Portugal performed better against Turkey than against the Czech Republic, Nuno Mendes said, "The first game is often accompanied by more uncertainty, but we managed to take that game. And in today's game, we won by a much clearer margin. The team effectively offset Turkey's strengths, they are very good in terms of individual skills and have high level players. However, in terms of defense, they didn't play well, which enabled us to end the game with a satisfactory score."
Speaking about whether Turkey's more open style of play helped Portugal's offense, Nuno Mendes said, "We like to be in control of the ball, and it's always better for us to press forward than to drop back. We were able to press forward effectively in the game and the whole team played well, and this win was well deserved."
On his return to the left back position, Nuno Mendes shared, "I'm a player who can play in any position at the back. On the left side, I did quite well and now I will continue to work hard and keep improving my performance in that position in training and in games."
On accumulating six points after two games, Nuno Mendes believes, "It's very important. Our goal is to win all our matches and that's what we came here for in the first place." His comments show the confidence and determination of the Portuguese team and signal that they will continue to fight and strive for every win in the upcoming matches.
