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“Ronaldo does what is more difficult than scoring goals.”
The coach of the Portuguese national team, Roberto Martinez, expressed his overwhelming joy for the victory over Uzbekistan (5-0) in the second round of the 11th group of the 2026 World Cup.
The Spanish coach considered that the result reflects the great efforts of the players, especially after the imperfect start in the first game.
Portugal started the current World Cup with a 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo, sparking controversy and criticism of the standard of the team’s stars, led by legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Tonight, El Don managed to reverse the controversial debate about his role in the Portugal national team, scoring twice against Uzbekistan to make him Portugal’s all-time top scorer and the first player in history to score in 6 World Cup games.
Decent result. The dressing room is more cohesive
Martinez said. “This was our answer in the dressing room. There are times when we need matches like the first one to improve. We saw a team that, with the same attitude and effort, with maturity, made us move away from the emotions of the debut. I’m very happy because they deserve this result.”
Quotes The Portuguese Record newspaper Martinez’s comments in the post-match press conference about the days leading up to the match, given the pressure after the draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo:
Regarding the performance of Joao Felix, who had a great match, the coach replied: “Talking about one player is unfair. But it is clear that everyone is ready to help the team. Joao trained very well and I was happy that he enjoyed playing football today because his quality is very high.”
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Martinez said about Cristiano Ronaldo’s double. “It was a matter of time. “Cristiano’s movements are the best for a striker inside the area and today he scored, but he continues to create chances in every game and this is the most difficult.”
“It was a difficult week and we didn’t get the result we worked for. But Ronaldo was an exemplary leader. He is a player who works on everything at his club and only had one injury in March. He is in excellent physical condition. His leadership is game-by-game rather than pre-planning. He was a problem for Uzbekistan.”
“They are footballers who changed football. Their rivalry was necessary for both to thrive. He’s a symbol and he’s the leader now and he’s much simpler and he’s an example of what it means to play for the national team. He has an incredible attitude in camp and incredible discipline. I’m very happy about that.”
Martinez noted that Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes despite speculation about his rest, stressing that he had “never worked with a player of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ability”, adding:
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“In the first game we scored a goal and lost control of the game and situations. But today the players used what happened in the first game very intensively and clearly and we reached the last third.
“It was a difficult moment that I experienced in the camp, but I saw a group that had a huge responsibility. There are things we can control and others we cannot. There was the unfair hype and fake news, but we also had a lot of strength from the Portuguese who love the team. Our response was very positive.”
Regarding the upcoming match against Colombia, the coach of Portugal said. “Colombia are having a great moment, love being at the World Cup (and have a great history), and we’re looking forward to a great match in Miami.”
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