'I always did my best'; Scolari

PORTUGAL STRIKER Nuno Gomes wished new Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari well for his new "adventure" after Portugal bowed …

PORTUGAL STRIKER Nuno Gomes wished new Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari well for his new "adventure" after Portugal bowed out of Euro 2008 last night. Scolari's side lost 3-2 to bring his tenure to an inglorious conclusion.

Gomes, captain for the night, said: "That's football. Scolari goes on to another adventure now and we wish him good luck."

Scolari said: "I leave with a clear conscience. I always did my best and today was no exception. I did the best I could, hoping the players would do the same."

German captain Michael Ballack felt his side justified their last-four slot: "We started very well. We changed the system a bit with five in midfield and one striker less, we were very compact. Especially in the first half I thought we played fantastically against a very strong Portugal team until now. I think we deserved it."

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Germany coach Joachim Loew could only applaud his team from the stands after being banned for one match following a dispute with the fourth official in their last group game.

"We had a lot of courage today, had good combinations, moved well without the ball - all the things that we've done well in the past we did tonight," said Loew.