Portuguese coach does not confirm that Cristiano Ronaldo will play against Uzbekistan
Coach Roberto Martínez remains silent on whether Cristiano Ronaldo will play against Uzbekistan or not after a disappointing performance in the opening match. Ronaldo is aiming to score in his sixth World Cup.
Portugal coach Roberto Martínez did not reveal whether Cristiano Ronaldo will play in the World Cup match against Uzbekistan next Tuesday, after the superstar's unimpressive performance in the team's opening match. "I can't announce the starting lineup because I haven't informed my players yet," Martínez said on Monday when asked about Ronaldo's continued presence in the squad. Ronaldo, 41, did not score in Portugal's 1-1 draw with Congo. Television pundits and social media users criticized Ronaldo after he missed several good scoring opportunities in the second half. Some people wondered why Martínez did not replace Ronaldo in the second half when the team had difficulty attacking. Martínez said the criticism did not affect his team and said such comments were part of a big event like this. "We're playing in the World Cup, so naturally there's a lot of noise and pressure, but that's part of the game," he said. "We are focused on the team and want to show a positive attitude... to be ready for the match. We are very focused. We are strong. The team is more united than before." While not specifically mentioning Ronaldo, Martínez said some of the criticism was "unfair, not right." Ronaldo did not speak to reporters after the match but has posted two posts on social media since the draw. In his first post, he wrote: "It's not the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Keep your heads up and focus on the next match." On Sunday, he posted four photos from the team's practice session and wrote: "Focused on the mission." Argentina's Ronaldo and Lionel Messi became the only two players to participate in six World Cups with their participation this year. Ronaldo will try again on Tuesday to become the first player to score in six World Cups after failing in the opening match. Currently, he shares this record with Messi, who has five goals in Argentina's two matches this year, bringing his total to 18 goals in five World Cups. Messi did not score in 2010. Although Ronaldo struggled in the opening match, having only 25 touches of the ball, Martínez remained confident in his ability to help his team complete opportunities in the end zone. "Cristiano is the best person to do it," he said. "The statistics support this about the iconic player Cristiano Ronaldo. If you look at the last 32 matches, he is a player whose outstanding movement opens up space and finds gaps." Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro knows Ronaldo should not be taken lightly despite the result in Portugal's first match. While his team prepares for the arrival of many stars, Cannavaro said Ronaldo is someone his players must pay special attention to. "We need to be careful in the box because we can't leave a player like that alone," he said. "We need to be very focused on him because Cristiano can score in every situation, from free kicks as well as in corner situations. So we need to be very careful." Reported by Associated Press.
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