Martinez defends Ronaldo: 'No point in leaving out the best goalscorer'
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defended Cristiano Ronaldo after a 1-1 draw against DR Congo in the World Cup opener, emphasizing the need to improve in upcoming matches.
Portugal's national football team started their 2026 World Cup campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Portuguese took the lead in the sixth minute through a header from João Neves, but Congo later equalized.
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the tournament's biggest stars at 41 years old, played the full 90 minutes but managed only three shots, none of which were on target. Despite this, head coach Roberto Martinez defended the veteran striker.
"There's no point in leaving out the best goalscorer in football when you need to score goals," Martinez said.
The Spanish coach identified a lack of initiative after the early goal as the main issue. "We started very well—good ball control, we got into the box. A goal usually gives you emotions and motivation to push for another, but this time it had the opposite effect. We stopped taking risks, stopped looking for attacking zones, and allowed Congo to reorganize and counterattack," he explained.
Martinez downplayed concerns over the result, noting that previous champions have had poor starts. "In the last World Cup, Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia and went on to win. In 2010, Spain lost to Switzerland and then won the World Cup. Those weren't the performances expected from future champions, but it's part of the process. Today, emotions after the opening goal had a negative impact on our game," he added.
Portugal still has group matches against Uzbekistan (June 23) and Colombia (June 28).
