Chile penalty hero Claudio Bravo says he was unable to play at his normal level during the Confederations Cup semifinal against Portugal due to injury.
Bravo saved all three Portugal penalties to send Chile into the final after the match ended 0-0, with Arturo Vidal, Charles Aranguiz and Alexis Sanchez all on target from the spot for the South Americans.
But despite keeping out poor spot-kicks from Ricardo Quaresma, Joao Moutinho and Nani, Manchester City goalkeeper Bravo — who arrived in Russia with a calf problem and only came into the first team for its last group game against Australia — was understated in his assessment of the match.
"I feel as I always do. I'm a very balanced person," he said. "I was injured and didn't play at my normal pace.
"But I normally take things calmly and this was a very special game for us. We were able to reach the final which is very important for us, we're completing a very successful cycle. We're happy to play in the final.
"I don't think it's only chance. I think you need to work a lot, you need to study your opponent. I think we played with our heads. We were quite tired at the end but playing with our heads as well as our hearts.
"I knew what I had to do. Of course we're very happy because we've been able to stop the European champions.
"Portugal had many chances to score. I think the game was quite balanced. Both teams showed great respect for the other.
"The secret, I think, is that we never stop believing in ourselves and we want to do everything we can to win. We still have one more game to win."
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