Jose Mourinho Reveals Euro 2024’s Biggest Surprise: Spain’s Impressive Run
Mourinho has named Spain as the biggest surprise of Euro 2024, surpassing his initial expectations.
Spain’s impressive performance saw them top Group B, ahead of Italy, Croatia, and Albania, and secure a thrilling extra-time win over Germany in the quarterfinals. They will face France in the semifinals on Tuesday.
In contrast, Portugal, whom Mourinho had initially tipped as one of the favorites to win the tournament, exited in the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout defeat to France.
Mourinho reveals that Portugal’s 2-1 loss to Croatia in the buildup to the tournament had raised concerns, which ultimately materialized in their early exit.
Read Also: Spain vs Germany 2-1 [AET] Highlights | Euro 2024
Mourinho:
‘I watched [Turkey] with reason and from a professional perspective.
Every time Turkey won it was a problem for me, and every time Portugal won it was a joy.’
Speaking on Portugal’s exit
‘There is always frustration when you feel that you could do better. The team’s potential was extremely high.
‘I wasn’t far off the mark when I said that Portugal, France and England were the favourites. Two of them are in the semi-finals.
‘Spain is the biggest surprise for me, in the way the team has evolved, they are practically a new team.
For me, at the moment, they are the team that plays the best and the one that has played the best throughout the tournament.
‘Portugal wasn’t fantastic, despite reaching the quarter-finals. We expected more.
I was at the National Stadium for the Portugal-Croatia match and it didn’t smell good. I didn’t get a great feeling.
‘During the tournament we were the team that was making progress, but we weren’t convincing.
‘Often, when the moment of truth comes, these teams are stronger. This wasn’t the end of Portugal, there wasn’t any improvement in the team.
‘But it’s a young team, apart from the two veterans [Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe], a team with years ahead of them.
The World Cup is just around the corner.’
