Hungary game a final for Portugal, coach Santos tells team

Portugal head coach Fernando Santos has told his players to prepare for a "final" as they look to secure a place in the last 16 of the Euro 2016 football tournament when they take on Hungary in their last group game on Wednesday.

Skipper and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in the second half as Santos' men were held to a 0-0 draw by Austria here on Saturday, leaving them on two points and third place in Group F.

Santos was unwilling to be drawn into discussing Ronaldo's performance in his post-match press conference, urging his team to turn their focus to Wednesday's clash against Hungary.

"I do not want to talk about Cristiano, please. The Portuguese journalists know not to ask because I only talk about the team and not individual players," Santos was quoted as saying by goal.com.

"We are going through a tough time right now. It's always the case but we need to change things immediately. We can't wallow in our own misery now. We have to think that there is a final to play on the 22nd."

While Portugal had their chances, the best fell to Ronaldo in the 79th minute via the penalty spot, but he crashed his attempt against the post.

Santos said the result was unfair on his team, but he was keen to quickly move on.

"When we talk about the team we have to focus right now. We can't concentrate on our missed chances, fair or unfair. This is all football," the head coach said.

-IANS

ac/ajb/vt