Jan Karnicnik, right back of the national team of Slovenia, the scorer of the 1-1 goal on the second day against Serbia, does not put limits on his team at Euro 2024, where he stressed that “anything is possible” with a goal in Monday’s match in the round of 16 against Portugal. The player recalled that they beat the Portuguese 2-0 in their last match, a friendly played in March.
However, he believes that it will not be the same match compared to the current framework, within the Euro Cup. “We know that the Portuguese can put together two or three teams that are equally strong. But in the match in Ljubljana they saw that they cannot joke with us. They will also enter this match with a certain respect,” he said at a press conference from Wuppertal, where Slovenia is concentrated.
They will be seen with Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao
“Match by match”, “happy and proud” to be among the remaining players of his team in the tournament, for the first time in the country’s history in the round of 16 of a major football competition, the Celje footballer wants, to face with vertigo on the left wing of the Portuguese of Rafael Leao and Nuno Mendes.
“They are two outstanding players. But we showed against England, too Trippier, Foden or Palmerthat we can stop them when we work as a team,” rewinds Karnicnik, who does not regret the situation that Slovenia ended up in. In the round of 16 they will play against Portugal, in the quarterfinals – if they pass – against in France or Belgium and in the semi-finals – if they reach – against Spain, Germany, Denmark or Georgia.
On the other hand, the rival could be Romania, if the configuration of the four best third parties is different. “Romania also played a good tournament with a strong group with Belgium. In the end, we looked even better against the favorite teams,” he noted.
They stopped England
“Because we released the tension after the first half against Denmark in the first game, we started playing as expected of us. We grew every game. And we showed it against England, who are favorites to win the European Championship. We showed that we can compete with anyone,” he warned Karnicnik.
And he emphasized the enthusiasm the team has generated among its fans. “This motivates me to cause all the Slovenian fans to go to Germany. When we see what happens in front of the stadiums, in the stadiums, it gives you extra energy, an extra motivation and I think we deserve all of that,” Karnicnik said.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
