Portugal-Poland, 5-1 Roberto Martínez: «The first half was low level, but afterwards we were a different team»

Roberto Martínez highlights the team's character after the break, understanding what they had to do to beat Poland.

Roberto Martínez considered Portugal's first half to be far below what was required, but celebrated the team's response after the break. — Poland is a team that plays to win and creates opportunities, but I think we didn't do well in the first half, at a very, very low level. But I really liked the personality and how we reacted in the second half with a totally different team, focusing on the pace of the game, controlling the game with the ball, occupying spaces that we didn't seek in the first half. It's great to see the five goals we scored, of superlative quality. I think being calm is important, being patient and being Portugal. I think in the first half we weren't what we can be, what we've been doing for two years. Wanting to win is good, but knowing how to win is more important. In the first half we knew how to win and in the second half we showed that focusing on performance got the result,” he said to Sport TV.

Vitinha's entry was important to shake up Portugal, but Martínez states “that he is not a player who changes the mentality of a team.” «Vitinha allows us to play in central areas, I think we occupied and looked for spaces, but it wasn't the change of one player, it was the change in mentality of the whole team, the pace, the pressure, we adjusted the high pressure and I think everything It helps, but it's not the change of a player that changes the team's mentality”, he said.

With first place assured and qualification for the quarter-finals guaranteed, the next game with Croatia will continue to be seen as essential for the team's growth: «We will continue on the same path, we changed four players in the first stage, we changed six players in the starting lineup in the second internship, even more so in November, the plan is to use our team and we will continue with that. It's important, we are first in the group, but for us now the objective is to prepare and open up competition for the national team's positions, for the quarterfinals, but also in 18 months, I continue to say that the final objective is to reach the best level for the final stage of the World Cup. The game against Croatia is important and there are many players who showed today that they are also ready.