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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Viriato181 on 2025-06-09 00:54:43+00:00.
“I want to say that I’m very proud of these players, of working with them and following this path that we’re on. Now we’re going to focus on the World Cup, which is our goal,” he said.
“We wanted to give the game more energy with the additions of Baena and Yeremy on the wings. Lamine was tired, he’s had a tough year, he’s 17 and you have to take him off when he’s not up to it. He’s another player from this fantastic team,” he added, explaining Yamal’s departure in extra time.
The coach also exonerated Morata, who missed the decisive penalty: “The penalties were of a very high standard. Morata was unlucky. He’s a champion, a reference point for all of us. I was the one who told him to take the penalty, I’m responsible.”
“When the match was over, I spoke to the lads and they all said that Portugal was the best team they’d played against. What can you improve against a team like that? Nothing. We did well. We played a very good team. If they hadn’t scored the second goal, we’d be talking differently now. We should have finalised our chances better, but that’s football. Portugal is a fair winner,” he concluded.