Brückner gracious in defeat

Czech Republic coach Karel Brückner praised his team for a fine display but admitted they were beaten by a "very talented" Portugal team who produced "almost perfect counterattacking football" during their 3-1 win in Geneva. For his counterpart Luiz Felipe Scolari, meanwhile, it was evidence his Portugal players are in peak condition.

Karel Brückner, Czech Republic coach
I thought we played very well for long periods but were beaten by a very talented side on top of their game. I made two changes to the team who beat Switzerland and took a pragmatic decision. We had two new players today and I thought they performed really well. Some players certainly did better in this match than in the Swiss game but if we're honest, we came up against a stronger side. I thought in the first half we proved we are a great team in both defence and attack. We had more chances to score than we did in the Swiss game and played some very good football at times. Jaroslav Plašil was immense as was Milan Baroš. We all knew he was a high quality player because of his performances in 2004 and he proved it again today. However, I think a few of our players began to tire in the second half and Portugal started to play almost perfect counterattacking football. The way they build from defence to attack is amazing. I would like to congratulate Portugal on their display and their win - they played very well. But I can promise we still have a third match and we will be ready for that.

Luiz Felipe Scolari, Portugal coach 
I am very proud of the team because it effectively means we have reached our objective and qualified for the last eight after only two games. In previous years we have made life difficult for ourselves. This time we have restructured the team and made life a little easier for ourselves. It's a good sign. We've had some difficult moments this year but now I have had the chance to work with my team and we have learned to play as a unit. It's great to see the players in peak condition for the national team as this is not always the case when we can only work with them for short periods during the season. We need to be realistic but what we have learned is that it is the small details which make the big difference at this level. We had to give everything to win today and we did and we won deservedly in the end. We certainly won't be holding back in our next game. We came to the tournament with the plan to win every match and we are now in a very solid position.