“I’ve always said we’re a team. I never hide my thoughts – I always tell my players what’s on my mind.
“I’ve always told them we’ve got great talent but we need to fight more than our opponents, run more than them and be more concentrated than them. We have an amazing group. They’ve always believed what I told them: that we could win this.
“Our skipper [Cristiano Ronaldo] put in an immense effort. He has amazing team spirit. Twice he tried to get back on the pitch but him being there in the dressing room and on the bench was very important for us. He believed – just like myself – that tonight was our night.
“When [Eder] came on he told me he would score. The ugly duckling went and scored. Now he’s a beautiful swan.”
Fernando Santos: "Throughout the tournament, we are as simple as doves, and wise as serpents."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) July 10, 2016
“I am very happy. I have been looking for this for a long time, since 2004. I asked God for another chance at this because we deserved it. Today I was unfortunate, I was injured but I always believed that these players, together with the strategy, would be strong enough to beat France.
“This is one of the happiest moments in my career, I always said I’d like to win something with Portugal.”
A visibly exhausted & emotionally relieved Cristiano after being crowned European Champion. #POR (@Beanyman62) pic.twitter.com/gqrwAtXTPU
— M.A.J (@UItraSuristic) July 11, 2016
“It was tough to lose our main man, the man who could at any moment score a goal. We said we would win it for him and we managed to do that.
“He could make the difference but we were warriors on the pitch. There was a lot of suffering, it was a very intense game.”
Eder, the glory moment.#POR pic.twitter.com/U0CN0h5jpV
— Portista (@FCPortoGlobal) July 10, 2016
“Cristiano told me I would score the winning goal. He gave me strength and positive energy. A lot of hard work went into it.
“With the injury to Ronaldo, we went through a tough time because he’s very important for us but he gave us all his courage and his strength. We were able to win it for him and all the Portuguese people.”
“Of course the overriding emotion is of huge disappointment. It’s cruel to lose the final like that. You have to accept it, I congratulate Portugal – they are the newly-crowned champions.
“Clearly we had our chances and had the last opportunity (of normal time) with Andre-Pierre Gignac striking the post in stoppage time.
“We weren’t clinical enough, we weren’t cool-headed enough. Perhaps we also lacked a bit of freshness. Although I’ve got nothing that I can hold against my players, they gave absolutely everything tonight.
“It really came down to very fine margins. But unfortunately we lacked what was essential. It’s very hard, it’s cruel but we have to accept it, and we’ll have to digest this, all of us.”
