Skip to content

Bento - Luck deserted us

Image: Paulo Bento: Portugal coach felt luck deserted his team in the 1-0 defeat by Germany

Paulo Bento felt luck deserted Portugal after his team were beaten 1-0 by Germany in their opening group game at Euro 2012.

Portugal coach aims to freshen up team for Denmark test

Paulo Bento felt luck deserted Portugal after his team were beaten 1-0 by Germany in their opening group game at Euro 2012. Mario Gomez's second-half header proved the difference in Lviv to put Germany in a strong position to progress from Group B after the Netherlands lost to Denmark earlier on Saturday. However, Portugal had come close to breaking the deadlock just before half-time when centre-half Pepe's shot bounced off the underside of the crossbar and on to the line. Though Portugal largely appeared to have been sent out to frustrate their opponents, and only truly came to life in the final 10 minutes, Bento felt his team controlled the match.

Sad

Bento is now looking to freshen up his players for the next fixture against Denmark on Wednesday, which Portugal can ill-afford to lose if they want to stay in the tournament. "I am sad about the result, I felt we controlled the game and defended well," said Portugal coach Bento. "We had bad luck when the ball hit the bar, while they had good luck with Gomez's goal. "We have to do everything to get the players fit for Denmark."

Around Sky