Euro 2012: Germany’s Gomez Got Lucky, Says Portugal Coach
By Ria Novosti
Portugal coach Paulo Bento said Sunday that Germany striker Mario Gomez got lucky in scoring the goal that consigned the Portuguese to a 1-0 Euro 2012 defeat.
Gomez rose in the 74th minute to head precisely into the corner of Rui Patricio’s goal, and the Germans staved off belated pressure to get off to a good start in Group B.
“We were defending great but then Mario Gomez had that great bit of luck,” Bento said.
“They controlled the game but we still defended well. Then in the last minutes we did everything we could to create chances, but we didn’t score.”
He cursed his own team’s bad luck, including a 45th-minute shot from defender Pepe that rebounded off the crossbar.
“We have played a good game, and we have lost. This is football, there is nothing you can do about it.”
The win takes the Germans joint top of the group after Denmark’s surprise 1-0 win over the Netherlands earlier Saturday.
Germany face the Netherlands next on Wednesday, with Denmark playing Portugal.
