Portugal lost at home against Spain (0-1) and will not join the final four of the League of Nations.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos said he was saddened by Tuesday’s defeat to Spain 1-0 in the Nations League. His future, Ronaldo, favorites at the World Cup… the Portuguese brushed aside all questions:
«It was not my intention to stay with a low block in our 35, 40 meters. I wanted us to get out but we couldn’t. I knew the dynamics of Spain with the players of FC Barcelona. They bring mobility, depth. I think in the first half Spain had a lot of possession but the game was for Portugal because we had some quick attacking chances that we couldn’t capitalize on. From the Spanish changes we started to move the lines back, to no longer have the ball. I brought in Joao Mario to try to recover the ball. With the entry of Leao and Vitinha I was also in this perspective. But we couldn’t tie the game anymore, we lost depth and ended up conceding a goal. We are all sad, we wanted to reach the final stage and we did not succeed. We have to improve to be ready for the top at the World Cup. (is this the end of his adventure with Portugal?) I have a contract until 2024, I can’t be more direct. (on Cristiano Ronaldo) What interests me is the level of the team. Cristiano had two, three opportunities that normally he puts deep. We all expect him to score, he didn’t, that’s football. (Spain a candidate for victory at the World Cup?) Spain, like Portugal, is certainly a candidate for winning the World Cup. Three days ago everything was bad for her and today everything is fine. It’s football, there are ups and downs. The answer is to play the World Cup with the same conviction that we had before this meeting.»
