Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating international break as Portugal squandered the opportunity to clinch the UEFA Nations League for the second time in his career.
Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo has endured a frustrating summer. What began with a failure to secure a transfer away from Manchester United has now seen the Portuguese icon squander the opportunity to win the UEFA Nations League for the second time in his career. A black eye, cut in the nose and long-awaited FA charge for a phone smashing incident at Everton last season have added to the 37-year-old woes. This has sparked a widespread debate in Portugal if the talisman should continue to lead the line heading into the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, which kick starts in less than two months' time.
Portugal registered an emphatic 4-0 win over the Czech Republic on Saturday but failed to capitalise on their form on Tuesday night as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Spain in Braga, allowing Luis Enrique's men to secure a berth in the UEFA Nations League finals. This shock defeat has forced Portugal football fans to call coach Fernando Santos to bench 37-year-old Ronaldo in Qatar during the showpiece event in November-December.
Despite Ronaldo's struggles with Portugal, coach Fernando Santos has made it abundantly clear that he won't drop the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Santos, who has showcased an unwavering faith in the iconic striker during his eight-year stint, has reaffirmed that the Portuguese legend will lead the attacking line come November.
Asked about Ronaldo's lacklustre show against Spain in a post-match interview, Santos replied, "What interests me is how the team played. Ronaldo had three or four chances. Two very good ones, which he usually scores. He didn't score. It's football."
Additionally, the 67-year-remarks old's were a reaction to the strong pressure from certain Portuguese media outlets leading up to Tuesday's loss. Ronaldo was urged to be benched in favour of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, AC Milan star Rafael Leao, or Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix by many media sites.
After crushing the Czech Republic 4-0 on Saturday, Portugal simply needed a draw to lock up a spot in the Nations League finals next summer. While Manchester United colleagues Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes each contributed to two goals in Prague, Ronaldo recorded an assist. Unfortunately for Santos and company, Spain turned out to be a much stronger opponent and won thanks to Alvaro Morata's game-winning goal in the 88th minute. The outcome was similar to Portugal's dramatic 2-1 defeat to Serbia last November, when once again, the Navegadores only required a draw at home to automatically reach the World Cup, forcing them to qualify through the play-offs.
Santos, who likely needs a successful World Cup campaign to maintain his job, was critical of the specifics of his team's performance against Spain. "This is the second time we've conceded a goal right at the end [after the Serbia defeat]. If we have to defend we should defend with everything. The players and I are devastated at the end of this game," the Portugal coach said.
"Did I learn from the Serbia game? You can't compare this game to the Serbia game. Against Serbia we scored but then we did not create any more chances. We've changed a lot since then, the way we play, the way we think about the game. Of course there are always things to improve. This elimination doesn't undermine me at all. I have a contract until 2024," Santos concluded.