A well-deserved win, we didn’t allow the Czechs any counter-attacks. But then fatigue set in, says Portuguese coach Santos

Czech national team lost to Portugal 0:2, the result is still quite acceptable, Ronaldo and co. were objectively one level higher. What did the Portuguese coach Fernando Santos have to say about the convincing win?

Portugal kept the Czechs pinned to their own penalty area from the beginning of the game, they were extremely strong on the ball.

Bernardo Silva was probably the most visible, and his technique is charming. It was he who was at the birth of the first goal when he pushed the ball through to João Cancel, who fired past Jindřich Stanek. Goncalo Guedes added a second goal 4 minutes later and it was almost done.

“We scored two goals, but we could have added two more. It’s always important not to score. The result is more than fair. In the first 20 minutes we controlled the game, we started well and kept the ball, but we weren’t productive enough. But we controlled the game and didn’t allow the Czechs to counterattack,” said Fernando Santos.

The Portuguese coach led the national team to its 100th match. His charges sweetened this jubilee with a win. The Lisbon native will always be considered a hero on the Iberian Peninsula, as he led Portugal to its first ever trophy. He added the Nations League trophy after winning Euro 2016.

“In the second half, the tempo dropped. We controlled the game, but we didn’t attack deep as much and we didn’t force our opponents to pull back. That left less space and made it harder to combine. Fatigue set in, some players couldn’t attack as much, which allowed the opponent to play and hold onto the ball more,” Santos reflected on the second half.

“There are clear signs of fatigue, it’s natural. For some players it’s more noticeable. Bernardo (Silva) was running out of batteries. He has a big influence on the game, but when he loses energy it’s harder for him. But it didn’t only affect him,” he said, explaining the reason for substituting the best Portuguese player in the match.

This leaves Portugal top of the Nations League group ahead of Spain, Czech Republic and Switzerland. It is with a duel with the last team in the table that Ronaldo and co. will conclude their June meeting with Sunday’s match in Geneva.

Source: MARCA, Portugalfutbol, Czech national football team