MY ACCOUNT
Diogo Dalot insists Portugal’s approach in their final Nations League Group A2 game against Spain will not be any different after rising to the top of the table.
A comfortable 4-0 victory over the Czech Republic in Prague, where the Manchester United full-back scored a brace, came alongside a surprising 2-1 defeat for Spain against Switzerland.
Those results set up a decisive match between Portugal and Spain on Tuesday in Braga, where the hosts know avoiding defeat will secure a spot in next year’s Finals tournament.
Despite now finding themselves in pole position, Dalot says the outlook ahead of the game has not changed.
“Our thinking will be the same, whether Spain had won or our result [had been different]. We’re going to Braga to win,” he said.
“It’s going to be a very complicated game and we have to do our [work] to be able to be in the next phase.”
Dalot was also pleased with the overall performance from the squad, believing it to be evidence of their strength ahead of the World Cup later this year.
“The most important thing was the good game we played collectively. I think we could still have done a little better after the third goal, taking it easy and more ball,” he added.
“We had some scares there that could have given them a goal, but we kept our cool. Defensively we were also very good and I think the result speaks for itself. We played a great game, and we deserved this win.
“This is the result of the work we have been doing. We have a lot of quality. This is a strong [moment] for us. The World Cup is coming, it’s a competition where we always want to be.”
