Portugal 'not interested' in Germany's shock exit, says Alves

Germany's World Cup exit caught the attention of most in the footballing world, but Bruno Alves says that Portugal is too focused to care.

Published : Jun 28, 2018 17:19 IST

Bruno Alves insists that Portugal is "not interested" in Germany's demise, but believes it offers further proof of the difficulty of the World Cup.

Joachim Low's side became the fourth reigning champion in the last five tournaments to fall at the group stage, as Germany crashed out in the opening round for the first time in 80 years, with Wednesday's defeat to South Korea.

European champion Portugal has had no such difficulties, however, coming through a tight group with Spain, Iran and Morocco to set up a clash against Uruguay.

While veteran defender Alves acknowledges that Germany's elimination is a big story, Portugal will remain focused on its own path to glory in Russia.

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"We have seen that in this World Cup there are no easy games. Germany going out is another clear indication of that," Alves told a news conference.

"But, this doesn't change the fact that we're 100 per cent focused on Portugal. We prepare every day for our games always believing that we can reach the next stage."

"Whatever happens to other teams is interesting for other people - people who analyse the results - but we're not interested. We only care about Portugal."

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