Beto: Portugal not ashamed of whitewash
Portugal goalkeeper Beto said his nation's 4-0 loss to Germany at the FIFA World Cup was not a 'shame' on Paulo Bento's squad.
A Thomas Muller hat-trick put a significant dent in Portugal's hopes of qualifying out of Group G in Brazil, with Bento's men forced to battle for over a half with 10 men after Pepe's brain snap.
Pepe head-butted Muller with eight minutes to play in the first half, and saw straight red for the incident, with Portugal trailing 2-0 at the time.
Sevilla shot-stopper Beto said he and his team-mates were not ashamed of their efforts against a clinical German outfit.
"We didn't shame our country, that's too strong. What we tried simply didn't come off and everything that could've gone wrong did go wrong," he said.
"We always try to honour the crest on our chest, we'll do it this World Cup, until the last drop of sweat."
Beto agreed with his coach Bento - who lambasted referee Milorad Mazic in the post-match - that the refereeing disadvantaged Portugal but the custodian did not want to further lament on decisions.
"The ref had influence but that can't be an excuse. We discussed what happened against Germany to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.
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With group games to come against Ghana and the United States, Beto said he believes they can bounce back and reach the last 16.
"I've a lot of belief in this Portugal squad. I believe in our togetherness and spirit. We have a big soul and more than ever have to show it," he said.