Portugal Coach Paulo Bento Blames Refereeing After Heavy Defeat to Germany
Portugal coach Paulo Bento has voiced his frustration following his team’s 4-0 loss to Germany in the opening Group G match at the 2014 World Cup. Despite the heavy defeat, Bento remains confident in Portugal’s prospects moving forward, though he did not shy away from criticising key refereeing decisions.
Speaking after the match, Bento said:
“Pepe’s sending off was exaggerated, and the penalty awarded to Germany was also an overreaction. These two moments significantly shaped the situation at the end of the first half. I’m not saying it was only the referee’s fault—we made mistakes too, both defensively and in our failure to capitalise on chances in the first half.”
He praised his team’s effort in difficult circumstances following the dismissal:
“In the second half, with ten men, the players showed great effort, and I applaud them for that. We now have to recover physically and mentally. We are going through a tough period, and the pressure will be immense for the next game, but this isn’t the first time we’ve faced such challenges.”
Reflecting on the game overall, Bento added:
“The story was effectively over after the first 45 minutes, and the second half was unremarkable. In the first half, Germany were not overwhelmingly superior, but they were more clinical when it counted. We made mistakes and did not perform to our best level.”
Bento also confirmed that some changes will be necessary due to suspensions and injuries:
“With Pepe suspended and a few injured players, we will have to make several changes. However, completely reshaping the team would be a mistake.”
On Cristiano Ronaldo’s condition, the coach concluded:
“From a physical point of view, I was told he was fine.”
Portugal now face a crucial challenge to bounce back in their next Group G fixture.
