Martinez: The match was won by Spain, but it could have been won by Portugal

Portugal's head coach, Roberto Martinez, expressed his regret following the 0-1 defeat to Spain in the World Cup Round of 16. He believes it was an evenly contested match that could have easily gone his team's way, but acknowledged that such outcomes are part of football and his squad must come to terms with the disappointment.

"Yes, absolutely. We played with heart. I think this was our best performance at the World Cup. It's a shame because I believe the ball hit the post once; it just didn't want to go into Spain's net. It was a very, very even match. I think the players deserved to take it to extra time. But overall, there's a sense of pride in the performance. The players' commitment and hard work are a source of pride, but football is this kind of game, and we have to accept what happened," Martinez began.

"I think we defended well; we showed good aggression without the ball. We played against a team that is a World Cup favorite. We went toe-to-toe with one of the best squads. We needed a bit of luck in the final third to capitalize on the chances we created. The match was won by Spain, but it could have been won by Portugal, just like in the Nations League final. I believe we deserved to go to extra time," the Spaniard added.