Rui Patrício on penalties, Wales and Portugal support
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
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EURO2016.com sat down with Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patrício to discuss their campaign and the semi-final against Wales, whose strong suit is "without doubt their togetherness".
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Having become a national hero by saving Jakub Błaszczykowski's penalty for Poland in last Thursday's quarter-final shoot-out, Portugal keeper Rui Patrício spoke to EURO2016.com about that victory, the challenge Wales present in the last four and his side's fantastic fans.
On Poland ...
It was a very difficult game, full of emotions, just like the previous one and all the others until this point. It was tough, but we achieved our main goal, which was getting through to the next round.
On the penalty shoot-out ...
The pressure during penalties is different from the pressure during a game. It was a great moment for us, as we made it to the semis, which is the most important thing. Everyone did great, regardless of whether they scored their penalty or not.
On defensive solidity ...
Logically, the better the team defend, the easier it is to win a match and get to the next stage. The whole team have been fantastic in the way they work, not only in training but also during matches.
It has been a very strong and united squad, not just the defensive players but the entire group, and in terms of organisation we have been very good. That is why we are about to play a semi-final.
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On Wales ...
We're expecting another very difficult match, just like our other games. We're up against the top-scoring team in this tournament.
That means they're a very strong side offensively, very well organised, but we know our quality and our ambition is to get through. Therefore, we'll play our own game and we'll continue what we've been doing in order to make the final. The strength of this Welsh team is without doubt their togetherness.
On the fans ...
In every match we've had wonderful support. Also, outside the training centre we always have people supporting and cheering us on.
That's very positive and gives us a lot of strength. We've also seen the images from Portugal of the fans gathering to watch the games and celebrate our victories. That fills us with pride.