Portugal coach Fernando Santos has said that the nation’s Euro 2016 crown “must be forgotten” after falling to a 2-0 loss against Switzerland in the opening 2018 World Cup qualification match.
Goals to Breel Embolo and Admir Mehmedi consigned the European champions to defeat. Speaking to RTP after the match, Santos said: “We started the game well, we dominated the first 15, 20 minutes but then we were dazzled and were a bit pragmatic”.
“We conceded in the only time that Switzerland was near our goal and afterwards we stepped back and allowed them to win individual battles — the European championship has to be forgotten.
Santos revealed that despite changing the system, his team were unable to adequately respond.
“Trailing 2-0, I tried to change things, play with two strikers. We had chances to score, we could have created more,” he added.
“In the latter stages, Switzerland just defended but we created some danger in the final minutes when we played with more heart.
“If we had scored a goal, we could have got back in the game.”
Portugal were without Cristiano Ronaldo on the night, who has undergone an extended recovery period after a long, but successful season with Real Madrid and the national team. The 31-year-old has reportedly only just returned to training in the Spanish capital.
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