Portugal coach Roberto MartÃnez wouldnt say if Cristiano Ronaldo would start Tuesdays World Cup match against Uzbekistan after the superstar’s forgettable performance in the teams opener.
“I cant inform you about the starting 11 because I havent informed my players,” MartÃnez said Monday when asked if Ronaldo would remain in the lineup.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo failed to score in Portugals 1-1 draw with Congo.
Television pundits and social media users criticized Ronaldo after he missed on a couple of good scoring chances in the second half. Some wondered why MartÃnez didnt substitute him in the second half with the team struggling offensively.
MartÃnez said criticism does not impact his team and said such talk is part of being in an event of this magnitude.
“We are playing a World Cup so of course we have a lot of noise and tension, but its part of the game,” he said. “The focus is on the team and we want to show a positive attitude ⦠to be ready for the match. We are very much focused. We are strong. The team is even more united than before.”
While not specifically referring to Ronaldo, MartÃnez added that some of the criticism is “unfair, its unjust.”
Ronaldo did not speak to reporters after the game but has posted twice social media since the draw. In the first post, he wrote: “It wasnt the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game.”
On Sunday, he posted four pictures from a team training session and wrote: “Focused on the mission.”
Ronaldo and Argentinas Lionel Messi became the only men to play in six World Cups with their participation this year. Ronaldo will try again Tuesday to become the first player to score in six World Cups after falling short in the opener.
He currently shares the record with Messi, who has five goals in Argentinas two matches this year to give him a record 18 goals across five tournaments. Messi failed to score in 2010.
Despite Ronaldos struggles in the opener, when he had just 25 touches, MartÃnez remains confident in his ability to help the team finish opportunities in the final third.
“Cristiano is the best one to do that,” he said. “The numbers support this of this iconic player who is Cristiano Ronaldo. If you look at the past 32 games, he is the player that has extra movement opening spaces and finding pockets.”
Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro knows not to underestimate Ronaldo despite the results in Portugals first game. While his team is preparing for the teams many stars, it is Ronaldo that he said his players must pay particular attention to.
“We need to be careful when we are in the box because we cannot leave this kind of player alone,” he said. “We need to be very focused on him because Cristiano can score in every situation, free kicks, even in the corner. So we need to be very careful.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
