By Joyce Zhou
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, June 29 (Reuters) - Portugal forward Joao Felix said on Monday that people back home jittery about the team's form after an underwhelming group campaign needed to keep calm ahead of the World Cup knockout clash against Croatia in Toronto this week.
Concerns that the European powerhouse had lost its way surfaced after they followed a draw with DR Congo and a 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan with a goalless draw against Colombia in their last Group K game on Saturday,
progressing to the last 32 in second place behind the South Americans.
Felix was asked what message he had for fans ahead of Thursday's meeting with the Croatians, who reached the final in 2018 and the semis in Qatar four years ago.
"They should stay calm," he told reporters at the team training camp.
"The guys here are calm. Drawing two matches doesn't mean we've lost confidence or that people should start doubting us.
"People just need to stay calm, just as we are calm and prepared for the match against Croatia. We're very confident that we're going to win, and we'll do everything to get through to the next round."
Felix said Portugal's familiarity with Croatia would be a definite advantage.
"We're used to watching them play," he said. "We've played against them countless times, so we know their strengths and weaknesses well, and now it's about analysing that and making the most of it."
The 26-year-old forward came closest to breaking the deadlock for Portugal with a fine volley on Saturday but the form of his Al Nassr clubmate Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored twice against Uzbekistan but was restricted to one shot on target against Colombia, is an ongoing concern for some.
Felix said he thought they worked well together up front and rejected the idea that playing club football in Saudi Arabia had left 41-year-old Ronaldo unprepared for the intensity of the World Cup.
"The intensity may not be the same as in other leagues, but the truth is the league is competitive. I didn't think so before I got there, and maybe I'm biased because I play there, but the truth is the league is very competitive," he said.
"Speaking for myself, I don't feel any difference compared to my teammates. Cristiano can speak for himself and how he feels, but speaking for myself, I don't feel any difference."
Felix missed a penalty that resulted in Portugal going out of the quarter-finals of the Euros in a shootout loss to France two years ago, but said there was no question of him stepping back up if faced with a similar situation at the World Cup.
"If there's another penalty for me to take, I'll take it without any problem," he said. "I'll step up. I've never had a problem with that, and I won't start now."
The players gathered for a moment's silence before training on Monday after news reached Florida of the death of the father of Ricardo Carvalho, the former Portugal defender who is an assistant coach with the squad.
(Reporting by Joyce Zhou and Paul Childs, writing by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Toby Davis)
