Portugal with maximum ambition to win the roller hockey Nations Cup – Roller Hockey

Coach Paulo Freitas recalled the importance of the competition in the international panorama of the sport

The Portuguese roller hockey team sets out with maximum ambition to win the 69th edition of the Nations Cup, in Montreux, assured this Tuesday Paulo Freitas, who makes his debut in a major competition as a national coach.

“I feel that we have a group of athletes who are committed and extremely proud to represent the country. Let’s fight,” said Paulo Freitas, shortly before leaving for Switzerland, where the tournament will take place between Thursday and Sunday.

The Portuguese coach, who took on the role at the end of December, which he also holds as coach of Óquei de Barcelos, recalled the importance of the competition, also known as the Montreux Tournament, in the international panorama of the sport.

“Regardless of the little working time we have, which we will not use as an excuse, we try to find points of balance, and above all we want to enjoy it. We have a huge responsibility to represent this country”, he said, also remembering the “social responsibility” of playing in front of many Portuguese emigrants.

Paulo Freitas, who succeeded Renato Garrido, in command of the Portuguese team, current European and world runner-up, also considered that the Nations Cup could be a moment to observe “many dynamics on and off the track” for the Championship of the World, scheduled for September.

Hélder Nunes, FC Porto player, also guaranteed his ambition to win the competition, in which Portugal will have as opponents in the group stage the teams from Spain, France and Switzerland.

“We don’t turn away from the fight, we want to win every tournament we enter. This is an almost Portuguese tournament, with many Portuguese supporting us in the stands”, he said, adding: “We have some of the best players in the world on our side , I think the other teams have to worry more about us than we do about them”.

The FC Porto player expressed the group’s desire to help the new coach: “We want him to help us, because we also want to help him and win titles for Portugal.”

Striker Gonçalo Pinto, who together with Xavier Cardoso, makes his debut for the main team, also assured that the team will perform “at the best level”, because “everyone really wants to win”.

Portugal, which has two more trophies than Spain in the competition, completed a three-day training camp in Lusa, before leaving for Switzerland, where between Wednesday and Friday they will face the teams of Switzerland, France and Spain, in games of the group B.

In pool A of the competition, which is celebrating its centenary, are the teams from Angola, Argentina, Italy and the host club Hockey Club Montreux.

The semi-finals of the competition, whose last edition was played in 2019 and was won by Portugal, will be played on Saturday, and the final is scheduled for Sunday.

By Lusa