"Spain? They are very tough and play very well"

The Spanish national team, with two victories in the first two rounds of the group stage of the European Championship, have established themselves as one of the teams expected to go far in the continental tournament. Their opponents are aware of this, as Joao Cancelo noted after beating Turkey in Portugal's second match in Germany. The Barcelona full-back, on loan from Manchester City in the absence of an agreement to stay at Ciudad Condal, praised 'La Roja' after their performance.

The truth is that they are very tough, they play very good football," he said. Spain's culture is always like that, isn't it? They have very good individual players, and they have a culture of playing good football, so it's going to be difficult. Hopefully, we'll meet, it'll be a good sign, but we'll see what happens," he said.

"Cristiano? He's a differential player. He could have scored, but he passed it to Bruno - Bruno Fernandes - and that shows that our group is well united and that we're on the right track," he added.

Focusing on the match against the Ottomans, he analysed: "Yes, I expected a difficult match. They were individually better opponents than the Czechs. I think we played a good game, I think our players, individually, were better than in the first game because of the nerves, but we are in the last 16. The first objective has been achieved and we want to continue to grow". He then delved into his variety of positions on the pitch.

"Well, yes, the truth is that I'm happier on the pitch than off it. What I love is playing football. It's been my passion since I was a child and what I do is help Portugal go as far as possible. Looking ahead to Matchday 3, Roberto Martinez is likely to rest him as he is one of his most important players and the ticket to the play-offs is already sealed.

 

June 22, 2024