In the quarterfinals of the European Cup played on July 6, Beijing time, Portugal defeated France in the penalty shootout, no chance to go further. After the match, Portugal's young defender Nuno Mendes was interviewed by the media, summarizing the match and expressing his expectations for the future.
When asked about the reasons for not being able to score today, Nuno Mendes said frankly: "We really lacked efficiency and failed to put the ball in the goal. We created a lot of chances during the game and tried our best to win, but unfortunately it didn't work out in the end. That's the beauty of soccer, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But it's important that we keep our heads up, learn from our defeats and continue to work hard to improve ourselves."
On the question of whether his team was in control of the game, Nuno Mendes opined, "It was a game of details. Both we and France played very well, they did a great job in defense and we created a lot of chances in offense. Although we didn't manage to score, their attacking players were really good, and every time they attacked they posed a big threat to us. However, we were prepared for that and Diogo was very good in front of goal and we had confidence in him. It's just a bit of a shame about the result today."
Commenting on whether winning or losing a penalty shootout depends largely on luck, Nuno Mendes agreed: "It's true that penalty shootouts are largely a reflection of luck. In the last game we had more luck, while today it was on the side of France. But that's the way the game of soccer is, sometimes you need to accept some uncontrollable factors. The important thing is that we have to stay positive and move on. Because this is not our first Euro and it won't be our last. We have to continue to finish what we have started and be well prepared for the coming tournaments."
