A night without answers in Portugal: Bruno Fernandes breaks his silence after the resounding fall
Bruno Fernandes, the Portugal captain and Manchester United midfielder, refused to give up after the heavy 4-1 defeat to Denmark, insisting that the team's goal remains to finish the group stage at the top of the table.
He stressed that the defeat in Braga does not mean the end of their journey. Portugal still have a fresh chance to secure top spot in the upcoming encounter against Wales, despite the disappointing performance the side delivered.
Speaking in an interview with the Portuguese channel "11", Fernandes described the loss as a difficult night that must be treated as an opportunity to learn and review mistakes.
The national team captain admitted Portugal failed to execute their plan. They could not impose their usual style of play, he pointed out, and the side did not deliver the expected level. Plenty needs to improve before the next match.
Portugal rely heavily on their strength in midfield, the Manchester United player explained, but Denmark closed down the spaces in the central area and stopped his teammates from exploiting that weapon.
Denmark dealt intelligently with Portugal's style of play, he added. That made breaking through and creating chances more difficult, pushing the side to seek attacking solutions out wide rather than through movements and passes in depth.
Those flanks did not give Portugal the effectiveness they had expected. The side relied on individual duels and crosses, Fernandes pointed out, despite knowing full well how the Danes could handle that approach.
The opponent was strong in this aspect, he confirmed, and clinical in front of goal too. Denmark took their chances, widened the gap and left Portugal with a mountain to climb.
He did not try to downplay the scale of the setback. The side made clear mistakes, he acknowledged, and the performance was not entirely positive.
Yet he refused to write the night off as one without lessons. The coaching staff and players must analyse what happened, he stressed, identify what went wrong and preserve the positive elements that emerged despite the heavy result.
Fernandes recalled Portugal's start in the UEFA Nations League, with four wins from their opening four matches. Those results, he reckons, confirm the side still have a real chance of finishing the group in first place.
The defeat against Denmark does not call for changing the objectives or abandoning the ambitions, he said. The calculations have not changed. Top spot still hinges on what the team deliver in their final match.
The Portugal captain finished by stressing the need to approach the upcoming encounter with positivity and enthusiasm, and to focus on claiming the three points the side failed to obtain against Denmark.
One point against Wales is all Portugal need to guarantee top spot in the group. That gives the players a chance to shake off the defeat and regain their balance.
The objective has not changed, Fernandes stressed, and the response to the setback must come through the performance and the result in the next match.
