Munich, June 9 (IANS) After Portugal won their second Nations League title after beating Iberian neighbours Spain 5-3 on penalties, head coach Roberto Martínez praised team’s resilience and character throughout the intense match and said his side deserved to win the title.

Portugal became the first team to win the UEFA Nations League on two occasions after beating Spain on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the final at the Munich Football Arena.

“Very proud. Finals are important to win. You need to be able to suffer as a team, to be resilient. To believe and keep going when Spain scores. We came back and showed a personality that was incredible. We are talking about a team that has a lot of experience in playing finals. I loved our attitude. Having the ability to grow during the game. I think we deserved to win the trophy,” Martinez said.

The coach highlighted the importance of the entire squad’s contribution beyond the starting eleven. “It’s important to have more than 11 players. It was a very physically demanding game, but I think it was even more demanding mentally. We couldn’t try to win the ball without knowing how and open up space for Spain.

“We always worked with very good ideas. We showed, when we had the ball, that we had a clear idea of ​​how to create danger. The players on the bench came on and once again helped the final performance.”

Addressing the off-field noise around his position, Martinez said, “Noise is noise. We know the coach’s position. There are opinions that are heartfelt, malicious. It’s a shame because we are all working together for Portuguese football. Today was a demonstration of that. We have a team to be proud of.”

Spain scored 25 goals in ten matches in the 2024/25 Nations League, the most by any team in a single edition of the competition. Moreover, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player over the age of 40 to play and score in the final. The oldest player to feature previously was Luka Modric (37 years 282 days vs Spain in 2023).

–IANS

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