The European Championship in Paredes started on a sour note for Portugal. The national team faced Italy and came up short, taking a loss in their opening match. It was a tough beginning to a long tournament journey.
National coach Paulo Freitas shared his thoughts on the defeat. He stressed that his team understood the challenge beforehand. He also made sure to downplay their previous friendly results against Italy. Those earlier games happened during a very early stage of Italy’s preparation. Italy is known for its strong defense, and they certainly showed it.
Freitas pointed out that the main problem was how effective both teams were. Portugal gave up two goals on quick counter-attacks. Another goal came from an own goal, also during a fast transition. On the other side, Portugal just couldn’t score enough. Freitas admitted this was not the outcome they wanted. He felt there are areas where the team must get better. He mentioned that some moments showed a lack of experience from his players. Still, he said the team’s focus remains clear: they aim to improve in every single game from now on.
Hélder Nunes, a player for the national side, offered a wider view. He felt Portugal simply needed one more goal than Italy. He noted that Italy scored on plays that could easily have gone Portugal’s way. Nunes called this the “key moment” of the match. However, he also offered a bit of wisdom. He believes it is better to lose a game at this early stage. Losing later, like in a final, would be much harder to take.
There’s good news for Portugal despite the loss. All teams in Group A will move on to the quarter-finals. They will then play against teams from Group B. This means the tournament is far from over for the national side.