“Portugal wasn’t fantastic, we expected more” - Jose Mourinho delivers honest verdict on Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign
Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho has delivered an honest assessment of Portugal's Euro 2024 campaign after they were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals. He also admitted he had concerns over A Selecao before the tournament, claiming there wasn't any improvement in the team.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. were deemed as one of the favorites to win Euro 2024 after finding glory eight years ago. They had a dominant run in the UEFA Euro qualifiers, winning all 10 games in Group J and scoring 36 goals while conceding just two.
Jose Mourinho had named Portugal as one of the heavy favorites to go all the way. However, he admitted their 2-1 defeat to Croatia in the build-up to Euro 2024 created some doubts. He told Sport TV (via METRO):
"There is always frustration when you feel that you could do better. The team’s potential was extremely high. I wasn’t far off the mark when I said that Portugal, France and England were the favourites. Two of them are in the semi-finals."
"Portugal wasn’t fantastic, despite reaching the quarter-finals. We expected more. I was at the National Stadium for the Portugal-Croatia match and it didn’t smell good. I didn’t get a great feeling. During the tournament we were the team that was making progress, but we weren’t convincing."
Jose Mourinho added:
"Often, when the moment of truth comes, these teams are stronger. This wasn’t the end of Portugal, there wasn’t any improvement in the team. But it’s a young team, apart from the two veterans [Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe], a team with years ahead of them. The World Cup is just around the corner."
Portugal had a decent start at Euro 2024, finishing at the top of Group F with six points from three games. However, they were notably defeated 2-0 by Georgia in their final group-stage fixture - highlighting their vulnerability.
While Portugal were able to secure a narrow Round of 16 win against Slovenia by winning 3-0 on penalties, they came up short against France. A Selecao failed to score for their second game in a row, with the game ending 0-0 in extra time. France emerged victorious in the penalty shootout, winning 5-3 after Joao Felix failed to convert his spot-kick, sending Portugal crashing out at the final eight.
"They are the team that plays the best" - Jose Mourinho names his biggest surprise of Euro 2024
While Jose Mourinho expressed his disappointment over Portugal's Euro 2024 performance, he hailed Spain for their style of play and improvement - naming them as the biggest surprise.
Spain have been brilliant in the tournament so far under Luis de la Fuente's tutelage. They have been flawless, winning all three of their games in Group B, despite their opponents being Italy, Croatia, and Albania. La Roja then defeated Georgia 4-1 in the Round of 16 before knocking out hosts Germany 2-1 in the quarter-finals after extra time.
From the aforementioned source, Jose Mourinho said:
"Spain is the biggest surprise for me, in the way the team has evolved, they are practically a new team. For me, at the moment, they are the team that plays the best and the one that has played the best throughout the tournament."
Spain next face France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, July 9.