Portugal goalkeeper Beto said his nation's 4-0 loss to Germany at the World Cup has not brought shame on coach Paulo Bento's squad.
A Thomas Muller hat-trick and a Mats Hummels header put a significant dent in Portugal's hopes of qualifying from Group G, with Bento's men forced to battle through more than half the game with 10 men following Pepe's red card.
Pepe’s head-butt on Muller in the first half saw him receive a straight red, with Portugal trailing 2-0 at the time of the incident, but Sevilla goalkeeper Beto has claimed that he and his team-mates are not ashamed of their efforts against a clinical German outfit.
"We didn't shame our country, that's too strong. What we tried simply didn't come off and everything that could've gone wrong did go wrong," he told reporters.
"We always try to honour the crest on our chest, we'll do it this World Cup, until the last drop of sweat."
Beto agreed with his coach Paulo Bento - who lambasted referee Milorad Mazic in his post-match interview - claiming that Portugal were disadvantaged by bad decisions.
"The ref had influence but that can't be an excuse. We discussed what happened against Germany to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.
With group games to come against Ghana and the United States, Beto said he believes they can bounce back and reach the last 16.
"I've a lot of belief in this Portugal squad. I believe in our togetherness and spirit. We have a big soul and more than ever have to show it," he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment