William: “It’s a mixture of emotions: disappointment and pride”

William: “It’s a mixture of emotions: disappointment and pride”

Two overriding sentiments were evident among the Seleção players and coach Rui Jorge after Portugal’s defeat in the final of the European Championship yesterday: disappointment and pride.

PortuGOAL rounds up the post-match reaction.

 

 

Rui Jorge, Portugal coach:

“It was a tight game. We had our chances and moments when we could have scored, but we didn’t manage to. We lacked a touch of luck, we hit the woodwork once, and had other situations.

“This team has played 15 games and only failed to score twice and one of them was this one. They have been incredible over the last two years.

“It was frustrating to get to a major final and lose, and there’s no way being first is the same thing as coming second, but I’m proud of my players and I believe they deserved a different outcome.”

 

Paulo Oliveira, Portugal centre-back: 

“Losing is always tough, and when it’s in the lottery of a penalty shootout it’s even crueller. We have to hold out heads high, we gave it everything we had, but that’s football. It’s a fantastic Seleção, an extraordinary group, but unfortunately we didn’t manage to translate this into a victory in the final.”

 

João Mário, Portugal midfielder:

“We are the better team in my opinion, but congratulations to Sweden. Defeats are always tough, it’s always hard losing like that. We’re proud of what we did and Portugal should be proud of what we achieved and what we have ahead of us.”

 

Bernardo Silva, Portugal midfielder:

“It’s a huge disappointment losing on penalties. There’s always just that last little bit that is lacking, I don’t know if it’s a question of luck, but it’s a huge frustration to lose the Euro like this. Personally I happy I helped the team reach the final, but I’d swap all my performances and wouldn’t mind not having played at all if it meant we had won this final.”

“Should I be playing in the senior Seleção? It’s not my decision; it’s up to the coaches Fernando Santos and Rui Jorge. In the next games and in Euro 2016 I’ll still be in the U21 age group, and if they think it’s better for me to play in this team I’ll be happy to be part of it and I’ll give my best.”

 

Sérgio Oliveira, Portugal midfielder:

“We’re all proud. Nobody likes to lose a final and we’re disappointed at the way we lost, but we have to be proud of our overall performance.

[On William’s penalty] “William is an excellent player. We’re a family. When someone fails, we all fail, when someone scores, we all score.”

 

José Sá, Portugal goalkeeper:

“What was lacking? Scoring a goal, having a bit of luck… We also have to congratulate Sweden. When it came to penalties, it’s a lottery. But the team performed very well and we have to congratulate everyone.”

 

William Carvalho, Portugal midfielder:

“What did I feel when stepping up to take the penalty? Anguish! I believed I was going to score, but I didn’t. That’s football. It can only happen to players who get to these moments, and it happened to me. I always gave my best on the pitch, right to the end.

“It’s a mixture of sensations. We are happy with our displays and because we qualified for the Olympic Games, but disappointed we didn’t win the trophy. Even so, there is an enormous sense of pride among us.”

 

John Guidetti, Sweden striker:

“In ten games against Portugal, they would probably win more games than us. They are a fantastic team, with amazing players. Who thought Sweden would win? We believed from day one, and we ran more than any other team.” 

by Tom Kundert