On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by tournament underdogs DR Congo at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Despite dominating the match in terms of passes and possession, Portugal failed to live up to the expectations as tournament favourites.
Being the star player of his country, Cristiano, who is playing a record sixth World Cup at the age of 41, faced the brunt of the disappointing performance. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner could not find the back of the net and had an underwhelming performance. However, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez thinks he is they key player in the team.
Portugal put up a poor performance against DR Congo in the FIFA World Cup opener despite taking an early lead, thanks to a goal by João Neves. The legend of the team, Cristiano Ronaldo also could not create the required chances in the match that ended in a draw.
After the match, many fans and critics have slammed coach Roberto Martinez for his decision to keep playing Cristiano even though he failed to make a difference. The Spanish manager, who previously coached Belgium, took no time to defend the star of his team.
Many think that age has slowed Cristiano down but the Al Nassr star has repeatedly proved that theory wrong. Roberto, too, thinks age is not a factor and there was no question of substituting him.
"We don't manage Cristiano based on his age, but on his sensations and how he feels. It makes no sense to get the best goal scorer in world football out in a game that you need goals", the coach said.
He added, "His experience in the penalty area is crucial. Every player has their role on the pitch and when we think about scoring goals, Cristiano must be present."
First match blows are common in World Cups and the coach wanted fans to remember just that. Roberto added, "These kinds of situations can happen in a World Cup. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and ended up champions. Spain fell to Switzerland in 2010 and later lifted the trophy. Winning a World Cup is a process".
However, Roberto believes that the team has to be "self-critical" and analyse the mistakes that happened on the pitch. "The players' attitude was extraordinary, but we must improve", he said.
On Wednesday, Cristiano Ronaldo played full 90 minutes. However, he has now gone 10 matches without scoring a goal for Portugal in major tournaments like the 2022 and 2026 World Cup (so far) and the 2024 Euros.
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