Here’s what was said after the 0:0 draw between Portugal and Macedonia.  Cristiano Ronaldo made critical comments about Macedonia’s defensive tactics, while John Toshack was thrilled with the discipline and even said Macedonia had the better chances to score.

Due to the fact that manager John Toshack, even before the match, forbid the Macedonian players to make comments to the media, we present to you only Toshack’s statement and those from the Portuguese players.

Cristiano Ronaldo
“It was a friendly match, part of the preparation and nothing more than that.  It was difficult to play against a team who had placed two buses in front of goal, so it was very complicated.  We played well, it was a good test and we did what we should have done.  There is no problem, we have another test on Saturday.”

John Toshack, national team coach of Macedonia
“We played a good game and before else, a disciplined one and I’m particularly happy to see the young players incorporate into our game.  I even thought we had better chances to score and it’s too bad that we failed to realize at least one, but the 0:0 result, for us, is a great result.  Anyways, this game is over and we are already preparing for the next game against Angola on Tuesday in Estoril.  I must also add that I feel very sorry that the fans in Macedonia weren’t able to watch the game live on television in an important match for us against the fifth ranked side in the world.  Of course, that would have meant a lot for us in this moment just like the good play and good result.”

Paulo Bento, national team coach of Portugal
“We did not play a good game.  We made too many mistakes against a team with a line of five men on defense; we had low movement in attack, and we weren’t very effective when placing balls in the area.  We won’t let this draw against Macedonia depress us, despite everything we are convinced that our team will play well against Germany.  We created few good attacks plus those from the free kicks.  So, I assume that we didn’t deserve to score goals.  However, in the previous game against Poland, we created more than enough chances to win.”

João Pereira
“The players are also not pleased with the game.  We failed to win so it is only normal that there were whistles from the crown and manager Paulo Bento received criticism.  These friendly games are good at analyzing errors that were committed, and in this way, we can avoid making them in the next friendly and later on during the EURO tournament.”

João Moutinho
“We were slowly improving, and we also have another a week to improve as a team.  The opponents were very good defensively.”

Bruno Alves
“This draw wasn’t expected as our goal is to always win.  We just didn’t get it done.  I’m proud to represent the country and to finish the game with the captain’s armband was extra special.  I want to help and we will work together to win the next game.  The whistles were something normal since the Portuguese fans expect more, because our team has quality.”

Beto
“We aimed for the victory, we are more united now and we are aware that we have to improve some aspects of our game.  It is premature to be worried, we must be calm and patient.  Let us slowly work towards the highest level.”