Dallas (US), July 7 -- Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez praised his players' commitment and resilience after their World Cup campaign ended with a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Spain in the round of 16.
Substitute Mikel Merino scored the only goal in stoppage time as Spain edged Portugal in a tight Iberian derby on Monday.
"It was not a defeat in the sense of how we competed," Martinez said. "We played against one of the favorites, we looked each other in the eye, and we stayed true to our values. We tried until the very end and gave everything we had."The Portugal coach said knockout football is often decided by the smallest moments rather than the overall balance of play.
"When you have great teams facing each other, that's what happ...