Gelson Martins promises no Portugal let-up

Gelson Martins may already have scored a contender for goal of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Portugal's 6-1 win against hosts Hungary, but he insists the team can still improve.

The Sporting Clube de Portugal winger produced a marvellous solo run and finish which abruptly halted Hungary's new-found momentum after the hosts had pulled a goal back to trail only 3-1 with 17 minutes remaining. Having skipped through the Hungarian defence to notch Portugal's fourth goal, effectively ensuring victory, Martins was delighted to have played his part in securing a semi-final place with a match to spare.

"Portugal are here to win every match," he told UEFA.com ahead of the matchday three encounter that will decide first place in Group A, with both Portugal and Austria having already booked their places in next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup. "Our next one will be a very difficult, tough game because Austria have also won twice like us and have the same number of points, but for sure Portugal will try everything to win."

Gelson Martins in action©Sportsfile

Hélio Sousa's side will need to show the same fortitude they did against Hungary, Martins explaining: "It was a difficult match. We played well in the first half, then Hungary responded in the second period, but then we turned things around again and got the win. Mine was a great goal and I'm happy because it helped us to win by such a big scoreline but it is not my best goal ever – I scored an even more beautiful one with Sporting!"

Nine goals in their first two matches make Portugal the finals' top scorers – with three more than the next highest, Austria – yet Martins recognises the importance of not looking too far ahead. "We can go far in this tournament but we're not the favourites. We don't see ourselves as the favourites; our goal is just to win every match. The team is not perfect yet and there are always aspects to develop, so for sure we will try to do this in our next game."