Portugal coach Roberto Martínez continues to question his lackluster World Cup opener and decision to stick with 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dominated in Portugal’s World Cup opening match (Image: Getty Images)
Roberto Martínez admitted Portugal had a “feeling of frustration” after their World Cup opener as doubts over Cristiano Ronaldo continued to dominate the tournament.
Portugal opened their World Cup campaign last week with a 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Yoan Ouissa’s goal canceling out Joao Neves’ opener. Ronaldo led the team to his sixth World Cup and is still playing at the age of 41.
His role as a starter remains controversial, especially as his scoreless streak in major tournaments extended to 10 games. He has missed several chances to put Portugal in the lead again and his style of play is seen as holding the rest of the team back.
“He’s a role model as a captain and he’s brought a lot of experience to the role. He wants to contribute and he’s a role model for our team,” Martinez said.
“He’s probably the biggest example of how to recover and how to train. But that doesn’t take away the feeling of frustration that everyone on the team has.”
Portugal’s star-studded side had tipped them as pre-tournament favorites, but the result against the African nation shed light on their style and whether playing with Ronaldo ultimately brought out the best in their other players.
Martínez insists Portugal are “united” and “stronger” ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup match against Uzbekistan in Houston, but tougher questions will be asked if they can’t win against the small fry.
He said: “We are playing the World Cup. Of course there is a lot of noise and tension, but that is part of the game. We are focused on the team. We are more united than before we arrived. There is no tension.”
Roberto Martinez’s selection decision will be a hot topic
Former Manchester City star Joao Cancelo has admitted Portugal lacked quality in their play in their opening World Cup match. “We didn’t create chances, which is not normal for a team like us,” he said on Monday.
“We have players of the highest quality in the world and we have to show that on the pitch. Tomorrow the only thing that matters is winning. We have no margin for error.”
Goal scorer Neves also said after the match that Ronaldo was “just another player who came to help,” quelling the criticism online.
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