In the third round of Group F of the European Championship, Kvaratskhelia and Mikautadze scored one goal each, eventually leading Georgia to a 2-0 victory over Portugal. After the game, Portugal coach Martinez attended a press conference.
Martinez said: “I think the goal we conceded in the first two minutes directly affected us. It took us a long time to find our rhythm. That was not the start we wanted, the opponent played with a lot of intensity and defended compactly, so it was important for them to score early. We didn’t have the same intensity as the opponent, and this was ultimately reflected in the score.”
“We made a lot of adjustments, with the focus being on getting all the players on the pitch. We also needed to give the players on the bench a chance to play, and now we are better prepared for the round of 16. We don’t like to lose, this is our first defeat in an official match, but the goal has been achieved and now we are better prepared.”
“Losing is a good way to prepare for the round of 16. We know Slovenia very well (the two teams played a friendly match in March, Portugal losing 0-2), and we respect them. This loss helped us prepare for the next encounter, now we have to look forward.”
“We wanted to control the game, but it’s hard to do that when the opponent has possession, belief, and power. For us, this was just a game we didn’t need to win. The VAR judgments are inconsistent because before they got their penalty, Ronaldo had a penalty not given. They should look at whether there was contact and whether a penalty should have been awarded. I think Ronaldo’s penalty was more obvious.”
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