UMDLALI wasemuva wePortugal, uPepe, uthi ujabule ngethuba lokudlalela izwe lakhe eNdebeni yoMhlaba nakuba isihambile iminyaka yakhe.
Lo mdlali (39) odlalela iPorto, khona ePortugal, ungomunye wabadlali abagqamile kuleli qembu kulo mqhudelwano oseQatar.
Udlale kahle esigabeni samaqoqo nangesikhathi bequmba phansi iSwitzerland ngo-6-1 emdlalweni weLast 16, ngoLwesibili ebusuku.
Kulo mdlalo ushaye igoli nokumenze walala isibili uma kukleliswa abadlali abadala kunabo bonke abake babhakuzisa inethi eNdebeni yoMhlaba.
Leli rekhodi liphethwe nguRoger Milla waseCameroon owayeneminyaka engu-45 ngesikhathi elibeka phakathi bebhekene neRussia e-United States ngo-1994.
UPepe usephethe irekhodi lomdlali omdala kunabo bonke ukushaya igoli kweyomkhumulajezi eNdebeni yoMhlaba njengoba elaMilla langena emdlalweni wamaqoqo.
Ekhuluma ngemuva kokukhipha iSwitzerland, lo mdlali owake wagijima kwiReal Madrid, uthe kuyamjabulisa ukwenza umsebenzi wakhe.
“Igoli engilishayile liqhamuke entweni esihlale siyizama uma sizilolonga, kulokhu ngibe nenhlanhla yokuba sendaweni efanele, ngesikhathi esifanele,” uPepe ucashunwe etshela isiteshi sethelevishini sasePortugal, iSport TV.
"Ngijabule kakhulu ngokusiza iqembu, yingakho ngilapha. Ngifuna ukuqhubeka nokwenza lokho kuze kube sekugcineni. Kusho lukhulu ukuba yingxenye yaleli qembu."
UPepe ubengukaputeni kulo mdlalo kodwa ibhande walidlulisela komunye umakadebona, uCristiano Ronaldo, ngesikhathi engena esiwombeni sesibili.
Nakuba abanye abahlaziyi nabalandeli bemangele ukubona uRonaldo eqala umdlalo ebhentshini, uPepe uthe akuyona into enkulu njengoba umqeqeshi, uFernando Santos, enegunya lokuqoka iqembu ngendlela afuna ngayo.
“Ngeke ngisho konke umqeqeshi akushilo kodwa usixwayise ngokubaluleka kwalo mdlalo, wakhuluma ngomoya okumele sibe nawo,” kuqhuba uPepe.
"UCristiano wazi kamhlophe ukuthi into ebalulekile yiqembu. Okwenzekile kube yinhloso yomqeqeshi futhi sonke siyakuhlonipha."
URonaldo (37) usendaweni yesithathu kwabadala abashaye amagoli eNdebeni yoMhlaba ngenxa yephenathi ayivalele ngesikhathi behlula iGhana ngo 3-2.
Umdlali obekhule kunabo bonke abebeseQatar kulo mqhudelwano ngunozinti weMexico, u-Alfredo Talavera, oneminyaka engu-40. Nokho akazange adlale njengoba kusetshenziswe uGuillermo Ochoa (37) emidlalweni emithathu yamaqoqo.
Irekhodi lomdlali omdala kunabo bonke ukudlala eNdebeni yoMhlaba liphethwe ngowayengunozinti we-Egypt, u-Essam El-Hadary, owayeneminyaka engu-45 ubudala ngesikhathi evimba bebhekene neSaudi Arabia, eRussia, ngo-2018.