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Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez weighed in on his side’s elimination from Euro 2024 after Joao Felix missed his penalty in the shootout against France in the quarter-finals on Friday (July 5). The Atletico Madrid forward’s miss ended the Portuguese quest to claim the title for the second time.
Martinez of Spain, who is managing the country for the first time in a major tournament, said (via Ojogo):
"We need to be proud of the players, who fought and performed very well. Football is cruel. It was incredible, very difficult, we wanted to give joy to the Portuguese people, this team showed the values of Portugal.”
"The dressing room is strong and helps players who are going through a difficult time. Only those who take penalties can miss. It's part of football. We did a good job, the dressing room values were very good. We have to look beyond the Euros, there is life after the Euros," he added.
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Joao Felix will be keen to put his penalty miss behind him following Portugal's exit from Euro 2024. They will now have to rally and their entire focus will be on qualifying and competing in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Joao Felix's penalty miss sees Portugal knocked out of Euro 2024
Portugal international forward Joao Felix missed a penalty that saw the Euro 2016 winners getting knocked out of Euro 2024. The 24-year-old came on as a substitute in the game but could not break the stalemate on the pitch.
It was a closely-fought quarter-final in Hamburg that saw two of the best sides clash for a chance to face Spain in the semi-finals.
Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who was playing in his final European Championships for Portugal, also struggled in the game. The Al-Nassr star could not get past French goalkeeper Mike Maignan and eventually, the tie went to the lottery of penalties. Everyone else would score their attempts from the spot except Joao Felix.
