In the group stage of the European Cup, Portugal unexpectedly defeated Georgia, after the game, the Portuguese manager Martinez accepted an interview, in-depth analysis and reflection on the game.
Martinez began by admitting that this was the worst result Portugal had suffered in this Europa League. He pointed out that Portugal had a poor start to the game and that conceding an early goal had largely influenced the way the game played out, allowing Georgia to play at their own pace. Although Portugal stayed positive and worked hard to find a goal scoring opportunity, Georgia seized the opportunity at the crucial moment and sealed the win by scoring the second goal through great defense and counter-attacks.
Speaking about the reasons for the loss, Martinez said that a loss is always caused by a combination of factors. In particular, he mentioned that conceding early gave Georgia energy, strength and confidence, which was an important reason for Portugal's loss. At the same time, he also admitted that the Portuguese team failed to effectively control the pace of the game when the opponents dominated and launched a tight defense, which also had a negative impact on the outcome of the game.
In addition, Martinez also talked about the role of VAR in the game. He argued that there was inconsistency in the VAR's decisions during the match, which affected the fairness of the game to some extent. He specifically mentioned Crowe's collapse during the match and the suspected penalty incident in the 27th minute as situations that should have been awarded more fairly.
Looking ahead, Martinez emphasized that the Portuguese team needs to look at the upcoming round of 16 and prepare better. He said that while the team doesn't want to lose any of their matches, losing is part of the game of soccer. It is important for the team to keep the tempo up and make sure that all players are at their best, while allowing others to rest and recover fully.
