Samu Costa: We always trust the coach's plan, now we move forward

Portugal drew 0-0 with Colombia in their final FIFA World Cup group stage match, and Samu Costa spoke in the mixed zone afterwards.

Hello, Samu. That was a very tough, fiercely contested match. You'll face Croatia in the knockout stage, and potentially Spain after that—a team you know very well. How will you approach the upcoming matches?

It was indeed a very difficult match. Colombia is a very good team with high intensity, and they created a lot of problems for us. But we always maintained our desire to win, and the team's attitude was excellent. The most important thing now is to recover as quickly as possible, shift our focus to Croatia, and concentrate on preparing for the next match.

I'm from Venezuela. First, I'd like to thank the Portuguese national team for their support for the earthquake-stricken areas in Venezuela. If you'd like to say a few words, we'd be very grateful. Also, I'd like to ask if you are satisfied with the team's performance in the group stage?

First and foremost, I want to express our support and solidarity with all the affected families and everyone who experienced this tragedy. We hope to convey more support and strength to everyone. If there's anything we can do to help, we will try our best to provide assistance.

As for the group stage, I think we achieved our objective, which was to qualify. I am very proud of the effort the team put in. This group stage was not easy, but we always maintained strong cohesion. The next step is to recover well and focus on preparations for the coming week.

I wanted to ask, did you receive any instructions from the bench about whether finishing second in the group was more advantageous than finishing first? Because at certain points in the second half, the team didn't seem as eager to push forward or show a particularly strong desire to attack. I wonder if that assessment is accurate.

First, we always want to win. Our objective is to qualify, but whenever we play for Portugal, our goal is always to win. Some of the tactical adjustments in the second half were about the coach's tactical plan. For a period, we were drawn into Colombia's transition game. We wanted to advance the ball into the final third and then control possession better there, which would also make it more difficult for Colombia.

So there was never a moment when we didn't want to win. All the players, coaching staff, and everyone involved—our goal is to win. When we represent the country, it's always for victory. We didn't win today, so we need to hold our heads high and move forward.

I'd like to ask, why couldn't Portugal break through today? Although one of your goals was disallowed, from your perspective, what was the reason the team ultimately failed to score?

We created many chances, and the opponent also had chances. In some games, chances turn into goals; sometimes they don't. But I think we executed the game plan well for most of the match. We always followed the coach's instructions and always believed in his arrangements. Now, we just need to move forward.

Did you expect Colombia to play so aggressively and actively from the start of the match? Against such an aggressive team, what aspects does Portugal still need to improve?

We did expect Colombia to play very aggressively. If we made even a small mistake, they would quickly counter-attack. Sometimes they did create threats, and sometimes our positioning was good, limiting them. But Colombia has many excellent players, and against such opponents, they will always create chances.

As for areas needing improvement, I think there's room for improvement across the board. We did many good things, but there are also areas where we can continue to improve. Next, we will carefully analyze this match and prepare and adjust according to the coach's requirements.

Colombia had twice as many shots as Portugal today. Did you expect such a high-intensity match?

Yes. Colombia had won their two previous matches, so we knew they were confident. As I just said, they have many excellent players. And their substitute players were able to maintain the same intensity. Of course, we also played a good match ourselves. I personally actually enjoy this type of match.

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