Martinez Gives Praise To Pepe And Ronaldo In Portugal's Victory Over Turkey, 3-0

Pepe is still the mainstay of Portugal's defense at the age of 41. (photo: x @uero2024)

JAKARTA - In the 2024 EURO Group F match which was held at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Saturday, June 22, Portugal won a convincing 3-0 victory over Turkey. This victory ensured Portugal advanced to the round of 16. Portugal coach Roberto Martmenchez gave special praise to two veteran players, Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"A neutral person who watches Pepe play, will not believe that he is 41 years old! He is an extraordinary example of Portuguese football. He is a true professional for 24 hours a day - he trains, sleeps well. The focus is playing one more year, then one more year. Then there is love for games and genetics - you can't buy that!" Martinez said, quoted by VOI fromuefa.com.

Marttenez also highlighted Ronaldo's contribution to this match. "I think we saw something really special today. A great striker faced one on one with goalkeeper and he was looking for an assist. A great example! This must be shown in academia-akademi throughout Portugal," Martinez said.

Even though Turkey has extraordinary talent, Mart Mariez admits that his team managed to stop them from playing. "It wasn't an easy game. I think Turkey has an extraordinary talent but we stopped them from playing. High tempo keeps us in control of the game, we stay focused and concentrate on defending. I'm happy with this clean sheet," he said.

Marttenez also mentioned the opportunity to give other players a chance to play in the squad. "I think we played at the same level as against the Czechs, but this time we scored first. Turkey started well, but we managed to deal with it and after scoring, we controlled the game. Now we can give other players the opportunity to play in the dressing room - they deserve it," said the former Belgian coach.

The same goes for Bernardo Silva, Portugal's goalscorer in this match. "Today we managed to overcome pressure from opponents who pressed us in the area over the pitch and gave us more space behind. We managed to create more dangerous chances, but we didn't get more than three points, and now is the time to work hard to prepare for the best we can for the round of 16," said the striker playing at Manchester City.

Meanwhile Vincenzo Montella, the Turkish coach, admitted his team played less consistently. "We played well for 20 minutes, created chances but were punished for our first mistake. Second, things like this happen in football. I think Portugal is one of the best teams in Europe, and today they prove it," said the former Italian national team striker.

Montella also revealed that her squad was not in the best condition, so she couldn't play the young star Arda Guler since the first minute. "Arda isn't ready to play for more than 30 minutes without increasing the risk of injury; finally I give in and let him play. When you play once every four days, it's like a different sport from playing every week, so you need a player's rotation," said Montella.

But Montella doesn't want to talk much about the chances to the last 16, after this defeat. "Sometimes we don't have a little bit of courage, but it happens with players who are not experienced in the final stages. We don't focus on the next game; we focus on this game," he said. To ensure a place in the last 16 now Turkey must win in the last match against the Czech Republic.