Ssharp and careful, Roberto Martínez urged us to remember that “context is important†in football. Still in Alvalade and in the wake of the 4-2 victory against Finland, achieved in front of a stadium bursting at the seams, the selector recalled that Portugal “experimented a lot†in that and the two previous games to explain, in part, the five goals conceded – when, in the 10 previous qualifying matches towards the European Championship, the team had conceded just two, in a single match. Also aware of the attention that these preparations for the tournament attract, the coach opted for pedagogy to prevent agony: “These goals conceded are not a weakness, but a consequence of the performance we have had in the last few years. three games, which were all private.â€
