The Portuguese are used to losing big things.
For example the final of the 2004 home European championships against Greece.
Or the game for third place in the World Cup against Germany in 2006. Or the World Cup round of 16 against Uruguay in 2018.
Or a world empire in the 16th century, as a result of which the typical Portuguese Weltschmerz
Saudade
got its name.
Thomas Klemm
Editor in the "Money & More" section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
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After the 0: 1 against Belgium, tears flowed again in the cabin, reported national coach Fernando Santos.
Those players who presented themselves to the public such as Palhinha or the Dortmund Guerreiro found the same explanation for the defending champion's EM defeat.
"We lacked that little bit of luck."
The Portuguese were superior in just about every statistical aspect: possession, accuracy of pass, won tackles to the end (24 versus six Belgian ones) and shots on goal (five versus one by Thorgan Hazard, which led to the success).
But all of this brought nothing, although Santos threw every available offensive force into play, including the best scorer in the Italian Serie A (Cristiano Ronaldo), the second best in the Bundesliga (André Silva) and the third best in the English Premier League (Bruno Fernandes).
"Now we're looking ahead and trying to win the next World Cup," said Santos. After the early World Cup in 2018, they also won the Nations League in 2019. Whether Ronaldo will be in top form in Qatar in 17 months is another question.