Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza sent Bento a congratulatory message for advancing to the round of 16.
On the 3rd (Korean time) at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, coach Bento watched from the stands the Taegeuk Warriors, who won a 2-1 come-from-behind victory in the last 3rd game of Group H in the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage against Portugal, their home country.
Portuguese media also shed light on Bento and Korean soccer.
The Portuguese daily Correio da Magna reported that President Rebelo de Souza said, "We have a better record than Korea, but Korea performed better in today's game. It is not enough to be good at soccer. We must play better." said.
In addition, President Yoon Seok-yeol also posted a congratulatory message on Facebook immediately after the game, saying, “The challenge begins again. Congratulations on the advancement of the Korean national soccer team to the round of 16.” I was impressed,” he encouraged.
Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Bento played for a long time in the Portuguese league.
In the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, he played as a defensive midfielder for the Portuguese national team against Korea in the group stage.
After retiring as a player in 2004, coach Bento walked the path of a leader.
Coach Bento sits on the bench and directs the Korean national team in the round of 16 against Brazil at 4:00 am on the 6th.
(Photo = Yonhap News)