"Old man" Pepe is highly praised
The Portuguese team has followed Germany and Spain, becoming the third representative to participate in the round of 16 of EURO 2024. Coach Roberto Martinez and his team are even sure to top the group one round early, because they are definitely above Türkiye (3 points more and won the head-to-head match), Czech Republic and Georgia (both 5 points more).
In the "3-star" victory over Türkiye on the evening of June 22, Portugal entered the game better with great pressure, forcing the opponent to make mistakes. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a decisive close-range shot, before Samet Akaydin made a mistake with his pass and went against the goalkeeper's movement, becoming an own goal.
Portugal won resoundingly
In the second half, Portugal sealed the score 3-0 with Bruno Fernandes scoring an easy goal after a pass from Cristiano Ronaldo. However, when asked about the victory, coach Roberto Martinez said Portugal had conquered the difficult match.
"This was not an easy victory for Portugal. For me, Türkiye have many good players, but we prevented them from playing football. With a very high tempo, Portugal controlled the situation in the palm of their hands. The whole team played with concentration and defended very carefully. I am happy that my students kept a clean sheet.
Portugal played like we did in the previous match against the Czech Republic, but in this match, Portugal scored first. Türkiye started well, but we opened the score. And when we score, we control everything. After that, I created conditions for more players to show their ability, they deserved it," said coach Martinez.
The former Belgium coach also praised the performance of Pepe - the centre-back who has just set a record as the oldest player to play in a EURO finals at 41 years and 117 days. Unlike most veterans, Pepe is still a mainstay of Portugal. He played 83 minutes against Turkey and showed stable performance.
Portugal punishes Türkiye's mistake
"If you watch Pepe play, you wouldn't think he's 41 years old. Pepe is the perfect symbol of Portuguese football. He's professional 24 hours a day. Pepe trains regularly, gets enough sleep. He's always focused on playing year after year. Pepe loves football and is passionate about every game. Those things can't be bought," coach Martinez praised Pepe.
"We were punished brutally"
In contrast to coach Martinez's joy, Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella could not be satisfied with his student.
"Türkiye played well in the first 20 minutes, created chances but were punished for their first mistake. The second goal happens in football. I think Portugal are one of the strongest teams in Europe. Today, they proved that.
Türkiye lacked boldness and decisiveness in their play, as the players were very inexperienced in the decisive situation. But Türkiye lost not because we were busy thinking about the next match. The whole team was very focused on this match," said coach Montella.
In the final match, Türkiye will face the Czech Republic. Coach Montella's team needs at least 1 point to be sure of advancing.
"Türkiye was punished brutally in this match, but we have to be optimistic about what we have done. Türkiye needs to be ready for the final match," coach Montella concluded.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-bo-dao-nha-tu-hao-tot-do-vi-hoc-tro-qua-sieu-hlv-tho-nhi-ky-soc-185240623023057015.htm
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