PORTUGAL defender Pepe left manager Fernando Santos in stitches after comparing the national team to a salad.
Fernando Santos’ men booked their place in the last-16 of the World Cup with a game to spare after wins over Ghana and Uruguay.
But they were then left disappointed on Friday as South Korea scored a dramatic late winner to beat them 2-1 in Doha.
Despite the loss, Portugal still topped Group H and will now face Switzerland on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Pepe, 39, is competing at his fourth successive World Cup since making his debut at the tournament back in 2010.
And he was on top form at the press conference on Friday with the salad analogy he suggested came from head coach Santos.
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He began: “We have several ingredients but unless we put all the ingredients together… as our coach said, can I say it coach?”
Santos, already laughing at Pepe, then nodded.
The centre-back continued: “You see, we have different types of salad. I mean you can’t have a tomato on one side, the onion on the other side. It’s important to put all the ingredients together.
“Indeed, we have a high quality national team but unless we work very hard, unless we respect our opponents, unless we do what our coach says, we won’t benefit so much from this quality.
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“So the most important thing is to be aware regardless of who is on the pitch or not, we have to do our very best so that we can secure a win. And that’s the most important thing.”
Portugal have not gone beyond the second round of the World Cup since they made the semi-finals back in 2006.
A victory over Switzerland would see them meet either Morocco or rivals Spain in the last eight.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
