THE BALL – «Ronaldo? If 17 and 18 year olds don’t like to be on the bench…» (Portugal)
Bruno Fernandes was pleased with Portugal’s performance against Switzerland.
«It was a very successful performance, a very good result. Team work was done in the best way. We managed to take advantage of what we had prepared for the game and our opportunities. It’s a big result, but I think Switzerland played a good game no matter what the result was. It’s due to the quality we put into the game and the quality of the 26 players», he started by saying.
Gonçalo Ramos did a ‘hat trick’: «If Gonçalo Ramos is not well, then nobody is (laughs). I don’t think I could ask for better in a debut as a starter. We are happy for him and for having helped us through. From Danilo and Nuno Mendes who have been a great help from outside. We have all been important »»
Cristiano Ronaldo, who started on the bench, was also the subject: “Kids aged 17 and 18 join the first team and don’t like to be on the bench, so imagine a player who has achieved everything he has already achieved, aspired to. It’s a question they have to ask, I can’t answer for him. It’s difficult for anyone outside, but the most important thing is the response he gave when he entered the field, helping to equip. The objective is the same for everyone, be it Cristiano or another player. We want to reach the semi-finals, we have one game left for that».
Bruno Fernandes foresaw the meeting with Morocco, in the quarter-finals of the World Cup: «It is a very competitive, aggressive, compact team, with a lot of speed, personality and technique. He was first in the group, don’t forget that, and defeated a Spain that has a lot of quality. We have to be prepared and focus on what we can do. If we are at our best level, we have all the conditions to win.”