Luis Figo explains what Portugal must do to make goalscoring 'easy' for Cristiano Ronaldo at EURO 2024
Former Portugal forward Luis Figo has explained what Roberto Martinez's side must do to make goalscoring easy for superstar attacker Cristiano Ronaldo at EURO 2024. The 39-year-old has failed to find the back of the net in four games at the tournament so far.
He struggled in the opening game against Czechia, missing important chances to put his side ahead. Porto winger Francisco Conceicao came off the bench to spare Portugal's blushes with a 92nd-minute winner.
Ronaldo had a better outing in the second match, grabbing an assist for Bruno Fernandes' goal in the 3-0 win over Turkiye. However, he had one of his worst performances in the 2-0 loss to Georgia. He had just 18 touches of the ball (three in opposition box), completed just eight out of 12 passes (67% accuracy), created just one chance and missed a big chance.
The Portuguese icon also missed a golden chance to open his account from the penalty spot in extra-time against Slovenia in the Round of 16.
In an episode of Inside the Box hosted by Rio Ferdinand on UEFA's YouTube channel, Figo explained the reasons for his compatriot's failure to get on the scoresheet so far. He claimed that Portugal needed to show more enterprise and ingenuity in the final third.
He said:
"My opinion is that in football when you have the goal, he will always score. But it'll be more easy for Cristiano if we have the [control and] initiative during the game. When he is close to the box and if we don't show that initiative and the team is far away from him [then it can be a problem].
"Of course he's not the same age as in the other Euros, but he always has goals in him. So if we can be close to the rival's box, in any moment he can score and decide the game," Figo concluded.
"We're all very proud of our captain" - Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praises Cristiano Ronaldo despite penalty miss vs Slovenia
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, meanwhile, has commended star forward Cristiano Ronaldo despite his missed penalty in extra time of their EURO 2024 Round-of-16 matchup against Slovenia.
The game ended 0-0, but Ronaldo did score Portugal's first penalty in the shootout. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved all three of Slovenia's penalties to help his side to a 3-0 shootout win.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, the Spaniard said (via GOAL):
"First and foremost, I think he is a constant example for us... He is happy taking that responsibility and has got that belief. I thanked him [afterwards] for being the way he is, for caring for the group. I was certain that he would be the first penalty taker and show us the way to take victory.
"I think we’re all very proud of our captain... I think he gave us all a lesson. Life and football give you difficult moments and the way he reacted shows why we are so proud in Portuguese football," Martinez added.
Up next, Portugal will take on France in a quarter-final matchup at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion on July 5.