Portugal will face Slovenia in the last 16 of the European Championship. Before the match, midfielder Palhinha attended the press conference. The Fulham midfielder spoke about Portugal’s performance in this European Championship, as well as his future transfer movements.
Palhinha was first asked about his outlook on the last 16. The Fulham midfielder was very confident in his team’s strength. Palhinha said: “The knockout stages are special matches, completely different from the group stage. We know what kind of team we’ll face, especially Slovenia, who are a surprise in this tournament. They have many good players. Although they’re participating in the last 16 for the first time and we have a lot of experience, I still don’t think experience is that important because football is about the present. The match will be difficult, but our confidence is at its peak.”
Reporters mentioned that at the World Cup in Qatar, Portugal also lost their last group match and then played brilliantly in their first knockout match. Palhinha believes winning is key, and the scoreline doesn’t matter that much. Palhinha said: “The important thing is to win, whether it’s 1-0 or 4-0. If someone guaranteed I could win, I’d sign for any conditions. When we lose a match or our individual performance isn’t good, all I can think about is the next match coming as soon as possible. Slovenia is a good team, the competition will be fierce. We know all the attention and criticism will be focused on us. We’ll try to turn this criticism into something positive and hopefully celebrate victory at the end of the match.”
Reporters were very concerned about where Palhinha would play in the future. The player himself said that he is currently focused on playing well for Portugal. Palhinha said: “At the moment I’m focused on my work with the national team, playing well for my country. My future? I can only say that both clubs know where I’ll be playing in a month, let’s wait and see.”
When asked about the best-performing teams in this European Championship, Palhinha gave his answer: “This kind of question always sparks debate, I’m watching two teams: one is Spain, they’re always strong; and Austria, they’re a beautiful surprise, fully deserving of reaching the knockout stages. Additionally, Germany is also at a very high level. I think these teams are currently the best performing.”
Finally, Palhinha gave a high-profile response to the team’s European Championship prospects: “We’re still motivated, we have the desire to win. Replicating the achievement of 2016 would be something to be proud of for the entire team. We have some players who may be participating in the European Championship for the last time. Nothing motivates players more than representing their country in international competitions.”
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