Portuguese Coach: "Ronaldo Seemed Upset Because of Korean Player"

"'It seemed like a rude gesture saying 'Go away''
Korean team received the evaluation of 'Very high concentration, well done'"

On the 1st (local time), ahead of the third group stage match between Korea and Portugal in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Portugal's coach Fernando Santos is seated.

Fernando Santos, the coach of Portugal who suffered a comeback defeat to Korea in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, said, "In the end, Korea scored. Their concentration was excellent."

The Korean national football team, led by Paulo Bento, won 2-1 against Portugal in the last Group H match of the World Cup held at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on the morning of the 3rd (Korean time).

Portugal took the lead with Ricardo Horta scoring in the 5th minute of the first half, but conceded an equalizer to Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan) in the 27th minute of the first half.

Portugal launched relentless attacks until the end of the match, but conceded the winning goal to Hwang Hee-chan, who counterattacked in the 46th minute of the second half, ultimately falling 1-2.

Coach Santos told reporters after the match, "I knew that Korea was a very strong team," adding, "The players showed extremely high concentration during the game."

He said, "On the other hand, it is also bittersweet," and added, "Of course, we wanted to win."

He continued, "I think we played a good game against a strong team. It seems to have served as a kind of warning to our players."

"Ronaldo looked upset because a Korean player made a 'go away' gesture at him."

Coach Santos also commented on Portugal’s star player Cristiano Ronaldo, who was considered a key player.

Ronaldo missed several important scoring opportunities during the match.

Santos said, "He seemed upset regarding a Korean player during the game," adding, "It seemed he was upset because a Korean player made a 'go away' gesture at him." However, he did not reveal which player made the gesture.

Regarding Paulo Bento, the Korean coach of Portuguese descent, he said, "I have a very good relationship with him," and added, "He is a good colleague. I will hug him when we meet."

After drawing 0-0 with Uruguay in the first match and losing 2-3 to Ghana, Korea now has 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss (4 points, 4 goals scored, 4 goals conceded), finishing second in Group H behind Portugal (2 wins, 1 loss), advancing to the round of 16 where the top two teams from each group compete.

With this victory, Korea reached the round of 16 in the World Cup for the first time in 12 years since the 2010 South Africa tournament.

Including the historic 4th place finish in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, this marks the third time Korea has advanced past the group stage in the World Cup finals.