Martinez lauds Belgium's toughness as holders exit

SEVILLE • Belgium coach Roberto Martinez hailed his team's strong mentality after they ended Portugal's reign at the European Championship with a 1-0 win in a bruising last-16 encounter on Sunday.

It was a display that highlighted not only the attacking talent of the world's top-ranked football team but also their ability to defend and tough it out.

Martinez said: "It wasn't just about how good we can be but how we could adapt to what Portugal do best: They do exactly what they need to win - that's why they are the current European champions.

"But we had incredible concentration and defended really well. We played a really good game in the first half, controlling and scoring a very good goal."

The Red Devils went ahead thanks to a long-range bullet from Thorgan Hazard just before the interval before putting on a defensive masterclass in the second half.

Portugal could not breach Belgium's backline despite recording 24 shots - the highest tally for a team at Euro 2020 without scoring - as they failed to reach the quarter-finals of an European Championship for the first time.

The victory, however, came at a cost as Martinez's side lost both Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard to injuries, even as the Spaniard hailed the mentality of his team, who are bidding to live up to their "Golden Generation" label and win a major football tournament for the first time.

"We all know the talent we have and the good football we can play, but today, we showed all the other elements also needed. As a coach, I couldn't be prouder," Martinez said.

"I never had any worries about players like (Toby) Alderweireld, (Jan) Vertonghen and (Thomas) Vermaelen. They are the masters. The talent they have makes defending an art, it was a joy to see."

Belgium will not have much time to recover from their exertions as they play Italy in the first quarter-final of Euro 2020 in Munich on Friday.

On his star duo, Martinez confirmed he had no idea if they would be available with medical examinations scheduled to determine the extent of their injuries.

In the earlier game, the Czech Republic booked their last-eight berth against Denmark on Saturday after upsetting 10-man Netherlands 2-0 in Budapest courtesy of second-half strikes by Tomas Holes and Patrik Schick.

The turning point was the 55th-minute red card for Matthijs de Ligt for a deliberate handball to prevent a scoring chance, which was confirmed by the video assistant referee.

However, the Dutch were poor even before the sending-off, failing to record a single shot on target in a major tournament game for the first time and, given how the Czechs controlled the game, confidence is high in their camp ahead of their clash with the Danes.

"We were the underdogs today, and before in the group stage, I believe we can surprise Denmark, maybe beyond that," said coach Jaroslav Silhavy.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS