Portugal in TOP form, Pereira: Now, we’ve climbed the Serra da Estrelabut the Everest still lies ahead | Handball Planet
IHF

Portugal in TOP form, Pereira: Now, we’ve climbed the Serra da Estrelabut the Everest still lies ahead

Portugal took all four points to the Main Round. Paulo Pereira boys beat Brazil and Norway to get 100% score before clashes with Sweden, Spain and winner Chile-Japan.

“It was fantastic. If someone had told us at the start of the championship—playing in Norway, against Norway, and a strong Brazil—that we would achieve a perfect record, we might have doubted it a bit. The fact is, I have a group of players with enormous hearts, and that makes a big difference. Once again, it’s a huge pride to work with them. Despite the difficulties, we kept finding solutions that had been planned.”

Game Analysis:
“Offensively, some of our movements disrupted Norway’s defensive system. In the second half, we saw an outstanding performance from Salvador Salvador in attack, along with Francisco Costa and João Gomes. These three players, who already play together at the club level, were expected to perform well in this competition. That’s part of the reason João [Gomes] is here. Initially, João was set to play as a right back, but with Miguel Martins unavailable, we had to find new solutions, and everything came together based on the resources we had. We played an almost perfect game. Once again, [Gustavo] Capdeville contributed significantly.

Now, we’ve climbed the Serra da Estrela [a famous mountain in Portugal], but the Everest still lies ahead.”

Mandatory Credit © Uros Hocevar / kolektiff

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