Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari paid tribute to England's resilience after their dramatic World Cup quarter-final.
England lost on penalties after keeping Portugal out for over an hour with 10 men following Wayne Rooney's dismissal.
"Congratulations to England, with 10 players they were incredible - it was an electrifying match," said Scolari.
"We didn't take advantage, we shot too much from outside the area. England closed the way to goal very well and it was like playing against 11."
Portugal keeper Ricardo emerged as their hero after he kept out three of England's four penalties in the shoot-out.
He said: "It was great. I managed to stop three of them. I'm really happy."
Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo shrugged off a thigh injury to make the Portugal starting line-up.
He scored the winning penalty and added: "I'm full of confidence and I shoot strong.
"I was tired in the second half but I haven't played for a week so it was OK."
Portugal, which beat England in a shoot-out in the quarter-finals of the 2004 European Championship, will play France in the semi-finals on Wednesday in Munich.
"We have four days to recover now so I think everyone's going to be ready," Ronaldo said.