In the quarterfinals of the European Cup that ended on July 6, Beijing time, Portugal was defeated by France in the penalty shootout and did not qualify for the quarterfinals. After the match, Portugal's midfielder Ruben Neves accepted an interview with the media, expressing his disappointment with the outcome of the match, while also recognizing the team's efforts and the performance of his teammates.
Ruben Neves began by expressing his sadness: "It's really hard to end this game in such a way. We showed what we are capable of and played very well against a strong team like France. We created some clear goalscoring chances, but unfortunately we didn't capitalize on them. This is soccer, only one team can advance and today, the victory belonged to France."
He went on to say that such a result would be unfair to the team's efforts: "From the beginning of the training, we gave all our efforts for the Europa League. We deserve more, but soccer is so cruel. We did our best, just like today. After 120 minutes of intense fighting, the team once again showed our desire to go far in this tournament, but unfortunately we went home too early."
Ruben Neves also spoke about the details of the game, "These games are very difficult and small differences can take us out. We played an excellent game today, most of the time we were in possession of the ball and created chances. France created chances on the counterattack, as we expected. And in extra time, we were in total control but ultimately couldn't capitalize on our chances."
Ruben Neves showed team spirit regarding teammate Felix's miss: "It was a tough night for Portugal. Felix missed, but it could have been me or any other player. Only those who are on the field make mistakes. I have full confidence in him because managing emotions is very difficult at critical moments. We will face the difficulties together and move on."
Speaking about Cairo and Pepe, Ruben Neves was full of respect: "They are two benchmarks for our country and for soccer. I think they should leave with a win, but soccer is like that, sometimes it doesn't go as well as it should. We did everything we could and they set an example not only on the field, but also influenced each and every one of us in the training camp."
Commenting on his team's failure to score in all three matches, Ruben Neves said, "These matches were very complicated and the opponents we met were very organized defensively. Scoring goals is not easy in this Europa League. France had only scored three goals before this game as well, including an oval and a penalty. We created a lot of chances but unfortunately didn't capitalize on them. We'll go back to Portugal, start thinking about the next game and continue to try to improve."
Finally, Ruben Neves spoke about the outlook for the future: "Coach Martinez is right, there is life beyond the Europa League. It's important that we react well and adjust as quickly as possible to put Portugal back on the path to winning titles. I believe our team is capable of doing that." Meanwhile, he also offered encouragement to Felix: "João just needs to be confident in his abilities. He's a different player and I'm sure he'll be a great success."
