http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Cristiano-Ronaldo-c9629 and Luis Nani claim that the players gave their best to oust the Spanish last night but in the end they lost, as luck was not on their side.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Paulo-c29431 Bento’s troops looked superior to the reigning champions for the better part of the ninety minutes, blocking everything La Roja threw at them. By turning the backline into a tightly knit group, the Navigators were able to contain their opponents and
play primarily on the counter, utilizing the pace they had on the wings.
However despite the best efforts of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ronaldo-c31734 and Nani, Iker Casillas’ goal wasn’t breached during normal time and it signalled another half-hour of play. But yet again, the Spaniards held firm and were reluctant to give up the crown, they had worked so hard
to gain.
A penalty shoot-out ensued to determine the winner and it was a major surprise that Portugal did not let Ronaldo take the opener. As a result, the pressure proved to be too much to handle for Joao Moutinho, who fluffed his lines and the Real Madrid forward
never got the chance to stamp his authority on the night.
While the Iberian giants have crashed out at the very end, they remained pleased with their displays and claimed that the players can hold their head high with pride.
"We didn't lack for conviction, but we were unlucky. That's penalties for you," said Ronaldo.
"We really gave it all we had, and it's difficult to go out on penalties. We showed a lot of quality. In the end http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 simply had more luck than we did. But people in Portugal can be proud of their team. We are sad as we deserved to be in the final - but
we can go home with our heads held high," added http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nani-c27299.
Centre-back http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pepe-c29670 also cast his thoughts on the game, claiming that penalties did not determine who was the better team on the night.
"Spot-kicks are always a lottery. I think people will be proud of us, even so, for what we achieved here," he said.
The Portuguese National Team are now set to return home, with the players likely to be a given a rest before resuming pre-season training with their respective clubs.
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