Additional commentary from manager Didier Deschamps of France
According to Deschamps, “it was a very tense, tight game.” Even if the game had ended in extra time with a more challenging outcome, things could have gone either way. Perhaps we were a little more worn out. Details are crucial in this situation.
“I’m thrilled for the team because they gave it their all. Being in the final four will be fun for us.
“The entire group deserves credit for it, including the players and the non-players.”
Pepe, a defender for Portugal, talks about his tears after losing
Pepe declared, “Sadness is a part of football, and football is cruel.” “We wanted to win for our nation and cheer up our citizens.”
“We won on penalties five days ago, and we lost on penalties today.” It is inhumane. The most crucial thing is to acknowledge my teammates’ dedication to the game.
Manager of Portugal Roberto Martinez considers his “cruel” departure
Martinez remarked, “We have to be proud of our players because they fought and played very well.”
Football is a harsh sport. Our goal was to make the Portuguese people happy, and our team did just that by giving their all and exemplifying Portuguese values.
“France is a good team, and it was a good game.” We produced more opportunities and had more possession of the ball, but we lacked accuracy and needed to score. Although we had plenty of chances, the game required a great degree of technical and tactical skill.
Didier Deschamps provides an update on Kylian Mbappe.
He is visibly exhausted. Before the penalty shootout, Deschamps stated of the striker he replaced, “Muscularly, it’s not easy with everything he’s had.”
“I observed him having difficulty in the first overtime period. Leaving him on was a pointless decision. It was only fair to introduce some fresh blood because Kylian has consistently been truthful with both the group and me.