MATCH 25 REVIEW : SCOLARI SENSES STIMULUS

The Portuguese party continues after Ricardo's remarkable sudden-death penalty conversion propelled the hosts into the final four of UEFA EURO 2004™ in one of the most dramatic denouements in the competition's history.

Hugely enjoyable
The players at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon could barely find words to describe the exhilarating encounter as Portugal defeated England on penalties after the sides had shared four goals in 120 hugely enjoyable minutes of football.

Rollercoaster ride
While the match was a thrilling rollercoaster ride for the fans in the stadium and the worldwide television audience, Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari gave an insight into the effect on the non-playing protagonists in his post-match reaction. He said: "I have suffered a lot and certainly will need to have my heart checked.

'Always better'
"The emotions were too strong in this game and I want to give my sincere thanks to all the Portuguese for the way they have been supporting the players and the national team. I also want to thank my players, who were unbeatable throughout the match. We deserved the victory entirely because I believe my squad were always the better team on the pitch."

'Important triumph'
Scolari, who ended England hopes as Brazil coach at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, was also looking ahead. "Now we are going to celebrate this important triumph and then we will immediately begin preparing for the next match," he said. "I honestly hope that this conquest motivates our players for the remainder of the [UEFA] European Championship. We are going to work hard this week, although it is very important to let the players recover."

Click here for full review

©uefa.com 1998-2004. All rights reserved.