In the final matchday of Group K in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Portugal drew with Colombia 0-0. After the match, Portugal's head coach Roberto Martinez gave an interview to RTP and shared his thoughts on the game.

On João Neves not starting

Martinez said: "If our goal is to win the FIFA World Cup, the team must continue to develop. No team at the FIFA World Cup can win every match 3-0; that's not football. Today's match was very difficult, the weather conditions were harsh, and our opponent is a strong South American side that excels in physical battles and one-on-one contests. We faced many challenges, and the match became very open at times, which wasn't the rhythm we wanted. We also needed to maintain a very high defensive intensity in the penalty area. Diogo Costa performed very well. This was a good match and a very valuable test that will help us continue to improve."

On whether Portugal wants to advance as table leaders or runners-up

Martinez said: "Our opponents are also competing, and they have their own objectives. Now we'll head to Toronto to face Croatia. Finishing first in the group won't provide any additional advantage."

On the substitutions made during the match

Martinez said: "We have great confidence in all our players, and it's important to give opportunities to those who haven't played much. We used 21 players. It was important to bring Rúben Neves on with full energy, and equally important to give João Neves 45 minutes of play. We saw that this match demanded very high intensity, and managing energy wisely was the right approach so we could start the match organized and finish it with vitality. Samu Costa performed well after coming on as a substitute. We didn't control the rhythm of the match as we hoped and didn't fully utilize Vitinha. But all the substitutes contributed to the team."

On whether Portuguese fans can maintain high expectations

Martinez said: "Of course they can. Our goal is to advance, and now it's time to prepare for the next match. We will improve significantly, and that's what we expect. We've shown that the team can think critically, self-evaluate, and continually improve. This is a very valuable test because it's easy to lose matches under different conditions and against different types of opponents.

Our fans can be very proud of the team. Perhaps this match didn't showcase the style and quality we typically display, but we demonstrated many important qualities, and these are what a champion team must have."

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