In the quarter-final of the European Cup on July 6, Portugal finally failed to beat France after a fierce penalty shootout, and stopped in the last eight. After the game, Portugal's head coach Martinez accepted an interview, the team's performance in-depth analysis and reflection.
Martinez began by expressing his pride in his players, "We need to be proud of the players, they fought and did a great job. Soccer can be cruel at times, but today our players gave their all and showed Portuguese values." He singled out his team's dominance of possession, the chances they created and their overall performance as an absolutely outstanding game.
However, Martinez was also outspoken about his team's shortcomings regarding the outcome of the match, "What we lacked was precision and goals. Although we had more possession, created chances and were level with France in an open game, we ultimately failed to convert our chances into goals." He emphasized that this was not just a battle of technical and tactical levels, but also a test of the team's ability to take chances at key moments.
Speaking about the penalty shootout, Martinez looked a bit helpless: "We put in a lot of effort, but in the penalty shootout, luck was not on our side. The ball hit the post and bounced out, and that was the difference. But that's part of the game, we can't dismiss the whole game's efforts just because of bad luck." He also said that the team's performance in the penalty shootout did not lack quality or preparation, just bad luck.
Martinez gave full recognition and encouragement to Felix, one of the youngest players in the team: "The atmosphere in the locker room is great, and it will help the players who are in a difficult moment. Felix had the courage to take responsibility in the penalty shootout, which is very rare. The important thing is that we have had a good period of work and the values in the dressing room are very good. These young players have a bright future and we need to use this experience to grow and move forward."
Finally, Martinez spoke about the team's overall performance at this year's Europa League: "This is not the time to assess that. The most important thing is the attitude, our performance in the locker room and the support of the Portuguese fans. It was a unique experience and we're sad because we weren't able to bring great joy to our fans, but we did our best during this time." He said that the team will move on with this experience and be well prepared for the coming matches.
