Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan match reaction: “It was a dark week – sometimes a bad situation can be a blessing in disguise” | OneFootball

Nuno Mendes joy after scoring for Portugal against Uzbekistan (Photo: FPF)

Roberto Martínez, Portugal coach:

“What was the difference compared to the first game? The attitude and the effort were the same. What we did well was to manage our emotions better after scoring the first goal.

“In the first game, up to the first goal we showed good intensity, good discipline in terms of our positioning, but after scoring we lost our discipline. Today, we started very well, but then we kept our positions, stuck to our plan, and the match was completely different.

Ronaldo’s movements are the best you can get from a centre-forward in the area and today the ball went in, but he continued to generate chances until the end of the game.

“It was the answer from the locker room. Sometimes you need games like our first one so you can grow. We saw a team with the same attitude and effort, with maturity that enabled them to put the emotion of the first game behind them. I’m happy for them because they deserve this result.”

Cristiano Ronado, Portugal captain:

“I’m back! I’m really happy, but the most important thing is what we did as a team, the confidence we showed. We took a lot of heat during the week, we knew that would happen, but the team played well, we improved a lot. Sometimes a bad situation can be a blessing in disguise.

“God helps those who work hard. I knew my teammates would help me too. It was a tough week, a dark week. It was as if I’d retired from football, but I got through it, like always, because I believe in hard work. It was difficult, I have to admit it, but we’re back.”

Nuno Mendes, Portugal defender:

“We’re happy. We were really focused. We must recover for the next game, to make sure we finish top.

“The criticism? It’s part of the game. We’re used to it. The squad help each other. The most important thing is to focus on ourselves and to do what the coach asks us to do.”

João Félix, Portugal forward:

“We exploited the spaces better than in the last game, we managed to spread play wide and between the lines, where you can create danger. We had a lot of players infield, so we could create danger there, or out wide and we did it both ways.

“Drawing the first game doesn’t mean anything. Spain and Argentina lost their first games at World Cups and ended up champions. DR Congo are not a weak team. We knew how to deal with the pressure, as you can see from the response we gave today.

“It’s good we scored five goals, because it could make the difference if we end up level on points.

“Winning the World Cup is everyone’s dream, but we’ll take it game by game and go as far as we can.”