Portugal, Martínez: "We want to win all three games 3-0"
Roberto Martínez, CT of Portugal, comments on the draw against Colombia and prepares for the next game against Croatia, expressing satisfaction with the performance of the team and Diego Costa.
By María Jesús Morales
June 29, 2026 at 12:41 PM
Portugal coach Roberto Martínez spoke after the 0-0 draw against Colombia in a friendly match. "First of all I would like to say that for us it was a great match. They are two important teams, sometimes the third game is a formality, but it is not like that. For us it was a great dance. After these matches one feels more prepared. In general I can say that I am satisfied with the defensive intensity, with the performance of Diego Costa. On a tactical level and on a defensive level. Colombia likes to play one on one, with duels, we prefer to control the ball. And now we must prepare against Croatia. We want to win all three games 3-0, but for now we have played three games, with one victory and two draws."
"Nothing has changed. We have played three games and we have seen that the team can face difficult moments. I am very satisfied with the players that I have used so far. Now we must prepare for the next opponent that we know well. We want to win everything. The objective and the process do not change." "The match against Colombia was also difficult because of other things. We were expecting this game. I am happy for Diego Costa, he showed a fantastic level. This is our path, our objective is to play eight games, there are no differences compared to before. It was a very open match, probably more than we wanted. Colombia uses transitions and this match helps us a lot to prepare for the World Cup. For us it was very difficult to control the game, even though we have high-level players like Vitinha: the truth is that in football we also have to defend, block the opponent."
"When you have to prepare for a game of this level you have to think about your team. The idea remains the same. Both teams would have wanted to win." "Against Croatia it will be a year since the death of Diogo Jota. Diogo Jota always returns to our memory. It will be like a celebration, we must play and win for him. It can be a greater stimulus for us, winning the cup for him." "Cristiano Ronaldo, 41 years old, has played every minute, Messi has not... Let's not compare players with others, for us it is a personal question. We have information during the matches, live. What we do is evaluate training sessions, everything is an opportunity. He is usually in the right place at the right time, he must provide position and open our attacks. He has played well for ninety minutes."