What they said: Portugal 1-0 Croatia

Sport360 staff 03:42 26/06/2016
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  • Match-winner: Quaresma.

    Portugal upset the odds on Saturday night to book their place in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals thanks to an extra-time win over Croatia.

    Ricardo Quaresma’s late goal sealed a sixth consecutive appearance in the last eight for the Iberian nation, although their previous attempts have failed to bring a title.

    Sport360 brings the best of the post-game reaction.

    Fernando Santos, Portugal head coach

    “It was a very tactical match. Portugal tried to take over but Croatia didn’t let us; then again, Croatia tried to take over and we didn’t let them win either. We were up against an amazing team and this was always going to be tight and strong.

    “We were ready for them and we set up to resist their strengths and take advantage of their weak spots. We didn’t allow them to counterattack but going forwards we do have room for improvement. At times we could have passed the ball faster but Croatia influenced that.

    “Sometimes you have to be pragmatic. It’d be nice to play pretty but that’s not always how you win tournaments. Both teams went into this thinking this was a key step towards the final and luck was on our side – we earned it. Next up, Poland.”

    Ricardo Quaresma, Portugal goalscorer

    “We worked hard, we knew the difficulties we were going to encounter, the stress, the anxiety that comes with the game, but I think we should congratulate ourselves.

    “We had a great game, we believed until the end and we should congratulate ourselves for our dedication.”

    Ante Čačić, Croatia coach

    “Everything was perfect except the lack of a goal. As expected, Portugal played on the counterattack and for 120 minutes we controlled it and didn’t allow them a chance until that last one. Many times the best team doesn’t win and that’s what happened here.

    “We were more aggressive and tried to score but they were disciplined, scored after 117 minutes and I can only congratulate them. Portugal are a high-quality team with a lot of experience. They could maybe be tournament favourites now.

    “I’m obviously really sad. We had a great chance for the tournament. We knew if we’d won we’d have a really clear path but this is tournament football. Football isn’t always fair.”

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