Euro2020 is still halfway, but for Diogo Dalot it has already become unforgettable. After the surprise call of Euro 2020 while on vacation, this Wednesday the young right-back made his debut for the national team and quickly qualified for the Round of 16.
The 79th minute of the match against France (2-2) will remain in Diogo Dalot’s memory as he won his first international match for Portugal, on a night he described as “perfect”.
The player who distinguished this season said: “We knew it was a difficult match, against strong opponents, we were able to respond whenever we conceded a goal, and this is also important, and combining that with the debut was a perfect night.” With Milan, on loan from Manchester United.
“Moving to the next stage was everyone’s goal,” the full-back said, noting that the group would now have the opportunity to study the opponents who would follow.
“We will have time to analyze Belgium, now we will have time to recover our energies, as there are only a few days between matches, these matches are very demanding, we have to have the whole team ready, and at that time, we will be ready for Belgium.”
Diogo also told Dalot what Fernando Santos had told him moments before his debut. “The coach asked me to defend, to defend the score, to have possession of the ball, and what I like to do is help the team,” he explained.
During the match, the fans in the stadium, the vast majority of the host country, were demonstrating not only about what is happening inside the four lines in Budapest, but also about the development of the Hungary-Germany match in Munich. A position the defender played down: “The message was getting through, it’s hard to understand with the noise of the game and environment, but we did our job very well.”
After things calmed down, Diogo Dalot used social media to express what was in his soul and heart. “Today [quarta-feira] It will remain forever in my memory like the day I fulfilled a dream. What an honor to represent my country, in the final stage of a European Championship, and to get the pass to the Round of Sixteen. Thank you all for this support. On the field we feel each of you,” the player wrote.
Hay and threshing against Germany
The Sporting midfielder was satisfied with the contribution he made to the national team against the French national team. He emphasized this by saying, “I gave everything I had, and that’s also what the manager asked me to do, I did my job.”
About the match, Joao Balenha emphasized that “the group deserves to be congratulated”. He justified this by saying: “We managed to achieve our goal, which is to move to the next stage. It was an intense match with two excellent teams. We played an excellent match and now we are thinking about the next match.”
For a player who made his European debut, the Munich match, last Saturday, was difficult to absorb, but it helped the team develop. He noted, “These are different games, different teams. The match in Germany was a lesson for us to correct certain aspects in terms of tactics and everything. It was also shown in this game, where the improvements were visible.”
On the Portugal road, Belgium now follows an opponent who, like everyone else, will be tough. “Belgium has one of the best teams in Europe, but we have our strength, we want to make our journey step by step and the future will definitely be bright,” he said.
Rui Patricio wants to make fans happy السعادة
The Wolverhampton goalkeeper also analyzed the next obstacle from the corners. “He is a tough opponent. We are in the European Championship, we know that every match is complicated and we are sure that it will be a very difficult match like every match, but we will do our best to beat Belgium and go to the next stage.”
With the weight of being the defending champion on his back, Rui Patricio would like to make the entire country smile like July 10, 2016.
He concluded: “We are here to win and that is what makes us here every day to train and develop and with the support of all the Portuguese, who all pay for us, we want to give us more happiness.”
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