Winning ugly suits Portugal boss Santos

Portugal must be prepared to “win ugly” in their Group F climax against Hungary, says boss Fernando Santos.

His side have been held by both Iceland and Austria so far but Santos says he has every intention of prolonging his team’s stay in France right up until the Euro 2016 final on July 10.

Portugal missed a hatful of chances in Saturday’s stalemate with Austria, including a late penalty from skipper Cristiano Ronaldo that cannoned back off the base of the post.

Despite their profligacy in front of goal, Santos was content to see his side making what he terms a decent Austrian outfit look average. “We played really well against Austria without scoring and we have to continue with this attitude,” Santos said.

“We made Austria, who are ranked 10th in the world, look like a small team.” Santos also encouraged his players to be willing to do whatever is necessary to win games in this tournament.

Portugal cannot afford a slip-up against surprise Group F leaders Hungary in Lyon and Santos says they must be prepared to dig deep in order to keep going in France.

“Sometimes, I get the feeling that we are ashamed about being ugly, or not being pretty. If we have to be ugly and that brings us efficiency, we have to be ugly. I’m ugly by nature and I don’t mind being even uglier,” Santos told reporters.

“I am only going back to Portugal on July 11 and I am going to be welcomed with a party.” Portugal are 13.00 to win Euro 2016 while they are 1.44 to defeat Hungary.