Malta's pace dropped in second half, says Deco

Portugal midfielder Deco was pleased with his team's performance and victory in Saturday's qualifier against Malta.

"It was really important for us to start with a win because this is a tough group," Deco told reporters after inspiring Portugal to a 4-0 victory over Malta.

"It was our duty to win here and I'm glad that we achieved our goal. Our performance in the second half was much better than in the first. Malta defended well in the opening period but we also missed a lot of passes.

"We improved after the break whereas Malta seemed unable to keep up the pace as they had in the first half."

Deco, who now plays for English Premier League club Chelsea, expects Denmark to make life difficult for Portugal in their first home World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

"This victory allows us to approach the game against Denmark in Lisbon with a high morale," Deco said. "The match against Denmark will be difficult, moreso after they drew against Hungary."

Maniche, a second-half substitute for Martins, also expressed his satisfaction that Portugal opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a resounding win.

"It was really good for us to kick off this qualifying campaign with a victory," Maniche said.

"We found it difficult to find a way through the Maltese defence in the first half but we played much better in the second half. We also encountered a few problems to adapt to the pitch, especially in terms of ball control."

Maniche was making a return for Portugal on Saturday after former coach Luiz Felipe Scolari left him out of the squad for Euro 2008.

"I never lost hope about returning to the national team," Maniche, who was recalled by new coach Carlos Queiroz, said.

"Now that I'm back, I'm determined to prove that I deserve to stay in the squad."