Nélson Semedo: "Believe in us, and we'll bring you joy"

Nélson Semedo also featured in the second half and, after the final whistle, spoke in the mixed zone, assuring that Portugal would perform better in upcoming matches.

"We understand the responsibility and quality we possess, and because of that, we always aim to win. Today it wasn't possible, but I'm certain we'll respond well in the next games," he began, emphasizing that the team's quality shouldn't be judged solely on one less-than-ideal performance.

"We can't gauge the collective's quality when a game doesn't go our way. Our journey has been strong; we had a great World Cup qualification campaign," he justified, continuing: "We can always extract positives even when we don't win, and similarly, we can find negatives even in victory. There are always areas for improvement, and I believe we know what they are. We'll start working tomorrow to address them, ensuring we present ourselves in the best possible way in the next match."

Finally, he delivered a message to the fans who are critical and doubt Portugal's capabilities in this World Cup.

"I understand their perspective; when I was a kid, I was on their side too... This was just the first game of a long competition. We still have two matches, and I'm confident we'll do a good job. So, I tell them to believe in us, and we'll bring them joy," he concluded.