Rafael Leão: "Diogo Jota helped us win this match"

He finished the game visibly struggling physically, yet still found the strength to deliver the cross that secured Portugal's winning goal against Croatia. Rafael Leão, speaking in the mixed zone, analyzed the match.

"I had a very complicated season with injuries, and with a game of this intensity, it was simply fatigue. But when the team has this spirit, the tiredness disappears, and I pushed until the last minute. Even with the fatigue in my right leg, I managed to get the assist. Everyone was pulling in the same direction, and that's what gave us the victory," he stated, adding that an extra motivational factor propelled the National Team to triumph: "We believed from the start. There was an extra factor that was crucial: Diogo Jota, who is always with us, also helped us."

Regarding the game itself: "Football is unpredictable. Croatia has very strong players. As Portugal, we want to go out and win, if possible, with many goals, but it doesn't always work out that way. It was a great spectacle for football fans. If I were in the stadium, I'd go home happy. Now, it's time to rest. We'll face a very difficult opponent, with players who play for the best teams. They won the Euros, we respect that, but we'll go in to win. We have players who can make a difference, and we can go far."

Finally, on the possibility that this game could have been Cristiano Ronaldo's farewell from the National Team, he commented: "It was an important factor. We want to give the trophy to Cristiano, which is what he's missing. He always gives his maximum."