Violante pleased after Portugal success

Portugal coach Antonio Violante was delighted after watching his side clinch the UEFA European Under-17 Championship final with a 2-1 victory against Spain.

Home success
The win, sealed by a spectacular goal in either half from Márcio Sousa, was wildly celebrated by the home crowd in Viseu, and capped a fine tournament for the host nation, who won four of their games and drew the other.

'Of course I am happy'
Violante was understandably pleased with the way the tournament had unfolded. "Of course I am happy!" he said. "Today things went very well, we fought hard and I think this was really a good football match Both teams wanted the victory, they played to win and we were not afraid of Spain, we just respected them. It shows that we are a really good team."

'No expectations'
The victory sets Portugal up for the FIFA Under-17 World championship in Finland this summer, but Violante refused to take anything for granted. "We have no expectations whatsoever from now, but we are going to think game by game, like we did this time, without making great plans," he said. "I am very happy to be the first Portuguese coach to win two European Championships, but this was the work of the whole team and not only me." 

'A special day'
Sousa was also ecstatic at the final whistle. "Today is one of the most special days of my life," he said. "Spain have an excellent team but with our strength and effort we were able to win the game. I thank the crowd, and I dedicate the win to all Portuguese people."

'Portugal deserved to win'
In contrast, Violante's Spanish counterpart Juan Santisteban was in dejected mood. "Of course we are not happy with the game," he said. "But Portugal played better and they deserved to win. During the ten days, we played five matches and [the players] are not used to it. This is not an excuse for having lost; I congratulate Violante and his team."

Austria spring another surprise
In the third placed play-off, Austria ended their magnificent tournament by unexpectedly defeating England 1-0, a result which seemed to take their coach Ernst Weber by surprise. "We did much better than we expected to," he admitted. "Our first aim was to reach the semi-finals and after that, everything else was a bonus."

Peacock subdued
Meanwhile, England coach John Peacock was left to reflect on a disappointing end to the event. "It was a pity to finish in fourth place," he said. "Emotionally my team was still suffering the consequences of the 2-2 draw with Portugal and the resulting penalty shoot-out [in the semi-finals]. We were frustrated not to reach the final, but this cannot be an excuse. We were down in the dumps today."