arrived at the with high expectations and some of the biggest talents in world football, led by the veteran Cristiano Ronaldo, who remained as dangerous as ever.
Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves and Vitinha, all multiple trophy winners with Paris Saint-Germain, joined players of the calibre of , Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva in a squad that many felt was Portugal’s best ever at a World Cup.
Indeed, there were hopes this would be the generation to eclipse their great semi-finalist sides of 1966 and 2006, but that dream was shattered on Monday by a
“Of course we’re sad. We came here with one objective, and that was to win the World Cup,” Manchester United midfielder Fernandes said after the game. “There’s no way we can be positive about this, not when we didn’t go all the way. I know Portugal have never won the World Cup, but we always aim high. I genuinely believe this group had the quality to win the whole tournament , but we must not lose belief.”
Portugal went into the Round of 16 having won only two of their four matches in normal time. They beat Uzbekistan 5-0 in Group K, and made it through the Round of 32 with a stoppage-time winner against Croatia. This time, Roberto Martinez’s side suffered a similarly cruel ending themselves at the hands of Spain
After holding off La Roja’s fierce attack throughout normal time, the Portuguese defence was finally broken by substitute Mikel Merino’s 91st minute winner.
“We gave it everything, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to win”, said Manchester City defender Dias. “It was one of the closest games we’ve had against Spain, at least since I’ve been here. We had plenty of chances, but we just couldn’t find the goal that would have swung things our way. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side.”
The Iberian derby marked the end of. The forward, who had announced on the eve of the match that this tournament would be his last, ended his campaign with three goals, becoming Portugal’s all-time leading World Cup scorer and the first man to score at six different editions.
“I’m OK,” he said after the match. “I’m just sad to be leaving the World Cup like this. But as I said in yesterday’s press conference, I gave it everything and I”m leaving with a clear conscience.
“That’s the life of a footballer. Some you win, some you lose. You just have to keep going. The truth is that this is my last World Cup. I’ll now spend time with my family before making any decisions, rather than doing anything in the heat of the moment.”
Also saying farewell , who brought his three-and-a-half-year spell in charge of Portugal to a close. Having led his side to UEFA Nations League glory, Martinez said he was proud of everything they had achieved together.
“I don’t feel disappointed, but I’m sad that we lost,” the Spanish coach said. “I really thought we would get eight games at this tournament. But I’m incredibly proud. We went toe to toe with one of the favourites.
"You have to take your chances when you get them, otherwise you leave the game for the taking. But right now, I feel nothing but pride in the way we played and the character we showed.”
With some changes already confirmed and others expected to follow, Portugal are now trying to look to the future, especially as they will be one of the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2030™.
Many of the Portuguese squad should still be around in four years’ time, and more talent is on the way, with Portugal being crowned U-17 world champions in 2025. Once again, expectations will be sky-high.
“We have to look to the future differently now,” stressed Fernandes. “We have to be truer to ourselves and make the most of what we already have within this group. We have to try to play more our way, in our own style, and find ways to make teams respect us more.”
Sources: FIFA Official
