Speaking to 'Canal 11' after Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales, secured by a goal from former AC Milan player João Félix, Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus explained some of his decisions, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s substitution in the 68th minute, when he was replaced by Gonçalo Ramos:
"There were 25 minutes left and I thought about bringing on a fast player in the first line of defence, someone with the pace to press the two centre-backs. Cris could no longer do it, and I knew he couldn’t offer much more in attack. I thought about bringing Gonçalo Ramos on specifically to make sure the team’s first line of defence could press and prevent Wales from playing out easily."
Jorge Jesus added:
"Gonçalo did well in that regard, but then the ball didn’t reach him very often because João Félix, who is the main link-up player for the striker, started to struggle to play close to him and get the ball to him. Bruno also got a little tired, so I took him off in the 87th minute."
