Fernando Santos blames himself

The Portugal coach, Fernando Santos, today assumed responsibility for the defeat of his team against Serbia, which forces him to play a play-off to reach the World Cup, but assured that they will be in Qatar. “The players know that we always play to win, thinking about the offensive moment, but it does not always go the way we want. But the responsibility is mine,” he said in statements to the state-run Portuguese network RTP, after the match.

For Portugal, a draw in Lisbon with Serbia was enough to get a direct pass to Qatar, but they lost by 1 to 2. “Serbia was better, the truth is that. We tried”, Santos said, who considered that his team played with “suspicion” and “anxiety.”

“We entered very well, we pressed and scored. Later, we began to not have the ball, to play behind, with difficulty in reaching the opponent, “he lamented.

Even so, he affirmed forcefully that the Portuguese will pass the repechage and will be in the 2022 World Cup. “This team has the moral to win and we will be in Qatar. We all know that we did not do everything we should have done, but we are going to be in Qatar, “he said. EFE.