Reason for the defeat: “We were not as strong collectively as we were defensively in Denmark. We never managed to stop Denmark’s attacking play, especially in the second half. I thought the team would be better and would outperform Denmark, but we couldn’t. They stopped our play with man-marking and very intense pressing on our players. We did not have the second striker playing between the lines and we could not gain an advantage through the middle, where Denmark had the edge. They reached the final third with space and surprised us with two crosses and two goals.”
Lessons to take into the Cardiff match: “Had we secured top spot, we would have played with different players. Even though we would have been without Palhinha and Rúben Dias, the important thing is to qualify for the quarter-finals as group winners.”
Absences of Cancelo and Nuno Mendes: “I worked with both of them in the four matches, but they were not here and other new players came in. When we lose, we all lose. There were individual mistakes, but they were collective. We have to start thinking about the next match in Wales.”
The future: “When you lose, it is never good. It always affects the players emotionally. The team had been extremely confident, coming off four wins and playing quality football. We have to give Denmark credit. They did not let us play and managed to be better than us in possession.”
Ronaldo tribute: “It is deserved for everything he has done for the national team and for Portugal.”
Press conference comments (Coach Jorge Jesus)
“It was a heavy defeat. Defensively, especially in the second half, we could not stop Denmark, a team that applied very high pressing in the first half. When we were attacking, we never managed to find solutions to finish moves or create space to score.
"We had even more difficulties in the second half. We did not defend well. Our defensive line struggled to stop Denmark’s forwards. In attack, we were not able to create as we did in Denmark (4-2 win). Denmark are a good team and proved that today. Defensively, everyone is always involved, but our back line struggled to stop players making runs from deep.”
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"I had been planning to introduce some players against Wales, but we have to look at the situation differently. We have to focus on the players who gave us guarantees in the first four matches, when we recorded four wins. Some players lacked competitive rhythm because they have gone two weeks without playing in their domestic leagues. Fundamentally, our defensive setup could not stop Denmark."
"It is normal for people to sing Cristiano Ronaldo’s name. People do not forget what Cris did over 23 years with the national team. There is no getting away from that. When the team is losing 4-1, nobody is happy (in reference to the spectators leaving early). Nobody was prepared to lose 4-1."
"Do I miss Cristiano Ronaldo now that he is no longer with the national team? Only if he were here to keep me company. He no longer plays. He is no longer here. He has already decided his future."
"We had to change both full-backs. Under normal circumstances, that would not have happened. Alberto (Costa) has justified his call-up with what he has done at Porto. He plays for the team leading the Portuguese league, with 11 wins. That is why I called him up. The fact that he has not played for the youth national teams cannot prevent a player from being called up to the senior side."
"It was a bad night, given everything that happened. Denmark’s forwards were given far too much freedom to play on top of our defensive line. Football has moments like this. I am not going to question everything the team achieved in these four matches, with the quality it showed. Emotionally, we gradually lost our way as we conceded. Until 2-0, the team always believed it could change the result. After that, it didn’t.”