Roberto Martinez explains why he had to take Cristiano Ronaldo off despite scoring in Portugal’s 3-1 win over Poland
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez has explained why he decided to take Cristiano Ronaldo off despite the legendary striker scoring in their 3-1 win over Poland on Saturday. Both sides clashed in the Nations League Group 1 Round 3 clash at Stadion Narodowy in Poland.
Ronaldo started the game looking like he would find the net sooner rather than later, as he powered the ball into the crossbar with just 11 minutes on the clock. The next big chance came four minutes later to Bruno Fernandes, but the Manchester United captain was unable to make his mark.
In the 26th minute, Bernardo Silva opened the scoring with a brilliant strike, thanks to an assist from Fernandes. Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Manchester City star on the score sheet in the 37th minute, latching onto a rebound to score his 133rd goal for Portugal.
However, in the 63rd minute, he came off the pitch, with Liverpool forward Diogo Jota as his replacement. In the post-match press conference, Martinez explained the reason behind this decision to substitute Ronaldo. (via Portuguese outlet O Jogo):
“It’s part of managing players when you have two games in 72 hours," Martinez said. "Diogo Jota came on very well. Cristiano is perfect.”
In the 78th minute, Poland returned fire successfully, as Piotr Zielinski found enough space to bury his effort into the roof of the net. However, whatever joy the hosts might have had was shortlived, as the Seleção cemented their lead with an own goal from Jan Bednarek.
Pundit advises Portugal to remove Cristiano Ronaldo's "untouchable status"
DAZN and TSF radio football pundit Tomas da Cunha has called on Portugal to drop Cristiano Ronaldo moving forward. While the legend has not stopped scoring for Portugal, his performances in important competitions have been found wanting.
He struggled in Euro 2024, failing to register a single goal, and he will be 41 years old when the 2026 World Cup comes around. This has pushed Cunha to speak out, with the pundit telling BBC (via GOAL):
“The whole debate is not about his age, but much more than that. ... Ronaldo left a lot to be desired in the last World Cup and Euros. Fernando Santos [former Portugal coach] tried to end his untouchable status, but with Martinez, that hasn't happened. ..."
He added:
"You cannot diminish the weight of Ronaldo and his brand, of course, but the best years of a highly talented generation are passing by and you still don't see them being able to express themselves with full freedom with the ball."
Going by what's on display, Cristiano Ronaldo could captain the Seleção to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.