 | PORTUGAL 2-2 ENGLAND (Portugal win 6-5 on penalties) |
Portugal keeper Ricardo says he always planned to take a penalty against England if a shoot-out was required. The 28-year-old sent the hosts through after saving from Darius Vassell and he said: "I had already decided I would take one if it came to it.
"It's not new for me to take penalties but I really wanted to do it. I owed it to all the Portuguese fans."
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari added: "I have never seen him miss a penalty. I was confident he could take it."
Ricardo has established a reputation for saving penalties with Sporting Lisbon and he added: "It was probably the most important save I have ever made.
"You can watch as many videos as you like but when you're standing there in front of the ball it's basically instinct."
England goalkeeper David James stated: "Being a member of the goalkeeper's union, I'm a bit annoyed about him.
"After pulling off a great save he scored probably the best penalty of the day."
MMIX
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