Santos satisfied as Portugal reaches Nations League Finals

Fernando Santos was glad to see Portugal reach the Nations League Finals after a draw with Italy.

Published : Nov 18, 2018 07:19 IST

Portugal coach Fernando Santos
Portugal coach Fernando Santos
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Portugal coach Fernando Santos

Portugal coach Fernando Santos was left satisfied after his team moved into the Nations League Finals following a 0-0 draw with Italy.

A point in Milan on Saturday was enough for the Euro 2016 champion to become the first side to qualify for next year's Finals, which it is set to host.

While not particularly happy with Portugal's performance, Santos was glad to secure top spot in Group 3.

"I am satisfied. To be present in the final phase of this competition is always important for Portugal, shows the quality of Portuguese football," he said.

"It's fair, in a very difficult game, with much more suffering than I expected.

"The first half was very difficult, we had a lot of difficulty adapting, mainly to the defensive actions.

"To defend well isn't to have many players behind the ball, it is to manoeuvre the opponent and not allow them to play.

"When you don't do this, you have difficulty playing too. We were poorly positioned defensively and when we won the ball, we couldn't play."

Portugal is unbeaten in the group ahead of hosting Poland, which is relegated, on Tuesday.

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