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4 months ago
21 Portugal rested some of their best players as they lost their 100% record at Euro 2024 in a shock 2-1 defeat to Georgia.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was rested for the final group game because Portugal had already secured their place in the knockouts.
Fellow United star Diogo Dalot started at right-back and played the full game. He forced Jan Oblak into two terrific saves from distance.
Portugal looked like a completely different team without Fernandes in the team. They lacked a cutting edge but Roberto Martinez could yet benefit from resting his best player.
Portugal remain calm, says Dalot
Dalot was disappointed with the result. It came as a shock but everyone will be expecting Portugal to raise their game in the last-16 clash against Slovenia on Monday, 1 July.
Speaking to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Dalot was quizzed over the defeat.
“I think it was precisely [that we] stopped doing what we worked on, to stop practising our concepts, what we had prepared for the game, I think the goal destabilised a little what was precisely this calm of doing exactly what we prepared.
“Very hasty, always trying to reach the last fast third, without big decisions, and again at the beginning of the second half ends up shaking the team again. In general, we didn’t do what we worked on and it tastes bitter precisely because of that.
“We knew that’s exactly what they were going to do, they are a team that being back there are comfortable, looking for the transition. We knew that if we didn’t have a defensive balance well done we would suffer counterattacks, and the team would run meters unnecessarily.
“The first goal turned out to be like this, then we suffered in some moves that we could have avoided and then in the last third we had to be much calmer, calmer to decide, more passes, tire them a little more with the ball and decide better. We didn’t end up doing it, but we want to learn from it and take it to the next game now.
“No, I don’t think so [that confidence has been lost], we are calm, we knew that this game was important to win, we really wanted to win. An opportunity also for many players to show that they are here, regardless of everything we continue to work, we train well, we work well and now we have a difficult game to prepare.”
Dalot will be hoping to keep his place in the team after starting two of Portugal’s three group matches at the European Championship.
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