A dejected Bruno Fernandes says Portugal created their own downfall by ‘dropping too deep’ and adopting an overly defensive approach in the second half of their World Cup exit at the hands of Spain.
The heavyweight last-16 contest had looked to be heading for extra-time, with both sides coming up short in the final third in Dallas.
Mikel Oyarzabal wasted a golden chance to put Spain ahead early on, dragging his effort wide of Diogo Costa’s goal, before the Portuguese goalkeeper produced a fine double save to deny Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena.
However, Spain rang the changes in the second half and it was one of La Roja’s four substitutes, Mikel Merino, who came on and made the difference.
Merino has built a reputation as something of a super sub under Luis de la Fuente and the Arsenal midfielder showcased excellent composure to slot past the impressive Costa after being put through by Ferran Torres in the 91st minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo was seen wiping away the tears as referee Anthony Taylor blew his whistle to signal full-time, with the veteran forward’s international future seemingly coming to an end after a record-equaling sixth World Cup.
Spain, meanwhile, must quickly turn their attentions to their next showdown against one of Belgium or the USA in the quarter-finals, where their quest for a second global title will continue.
Fernandes, whose standout contribution was to hit the side-netting in the 76th minute, cut a frustrated figure for much of the contest at Dallas Stadium, and was clearly unhappy with his side’s second-half showing.
‘It’s a sad moment. We had the clear objective of winning the World Cup, but we weren’t at our best,’ the Manchester United captain told the Portuguese media.
‘In the first half, we were superior, but in the second half we made the mistake again of dropping too deep and giving the ball to the opponent. When that happens, we end up suffering.
‘Spain deserves credit, but I believe that if we had continued doing what we were doing in the first half, we would have left here with a different result.’
Fernandes struggled to take any positives away from the experience but stressed that there was hope for the side going forward, as long as they are able to remain ‘true to themselves’ in their approach.
‘The assessment can’t be positive. It would only be positive if we reached the end,’ he added.
‘I know we’ve never won a World Cup and we always set the bar very high, but, with some certainty, this group had the quality to win the World Cup.
‘There’s no need to lose faith. We lost against one of the favourites and we have to look ahead differently. We have to be more true to ourselves, play our way, and find ways to make teams respect us more.’
Asked if he genuinely felt Portugal’s squad had the talent to lift the trophy this summer, Fernandes replied: ‘It’s sad how we left the tournament, we had the quality for more.
‘We faltered by giving Spain too much of the game, which is what they really want. Then our legs start to get heavy, the spaces start to get bigger.
‘We should have continued to be aggressive, tried to prevent Spain from playing so much, we should have played more with the ball, we have the quality for that and we ended up losing ourselves a little.
‘It’s a missed opportunity, we had the quality to win the World Cup. We couldn’t get the best out of everyone in the best way and we left the World Cup prematurely.’
During his post-match media duties, Roberto Martinez confirmed that the match would be his last as head coach of the Portuguese national team after three-and-a-half years at the helm.
‘It’s true that this is my last game,’ he explained.
But I have to thank the Portuguese people, it was an incredible source of pride.
‘I will carry this memory with me for the rest of my life. I also want to thank the players for their work.
‘I take with me incredible memories and gratitude to the Portuguese people. These were years of records.’