“If Portugal has to win and I don’t play, I’ll sign it right now” - Cristiano Ronaldo makes emphatic claim before Denmark clash
Cristiano Ronaldo has made an empathetic claim ahead of Portugal's clash against Denmark in the second leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final on March 23 at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon. A Selecao lost the first leg by a solitary goal at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on March 20.
The visitors put on a lackluster performance in the first leg against the Scandinavian nation. They could only muster two shots on target throughout the game compared to Denmark's nine. Despite Portugal dominating ball possession (56%), Denmark had 41 touches inside Portugal's penalty area compared to just 16 by the visitors.
In the 78th minute, substitute Rasmus Hojlund scored the game's solitary goal. A measured cross into the penalty box by Andreas Skov Olsen was capped off by an inch-perfect finish by the Manchester United superstar. The home side could've won the game by two goals but Diogo Costa saved a 24th-minute penalty kick by Christian Erikson to keep the scores tied at 0-0 at halftime.
Portugal now have a steep task of overcoming their first-leg deficit and winning the game convincingly on March 23. Speaking ahead of the clash, Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that he would willingly step aside if his absence from the squad means a victory for Portugal. He said (via @The NassrZone on X):
“If Portugal has to win and I don't play, I'll sign it right now.”
In the first leg, Cristiano Ronaldo had just 30 touches throughout the game and lost the ball twice in 90 minutes. He registered just one shot and failed to hit a single shot on target.
Roberto Martinez explains why Cristiano Ronaldo played 90 minutes against Denmark and Goncalo Ramos didn't feature at all
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez defended his decision to play Cristiano Ronaldo for the full 90 minutes against Denmark despite having Goncalo Ramos on the bench. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) frontman has racked up impressive numbers this season, i.e., 13 goals and five assists in 27 games across competitions for PSG.
Speaking after Portugal's 1-0 loss, Martinez explained why he didn't play Ramos despite Ronaldo's struggles on the pitch.
“I believe in everyone. Francisco came from injury and can only play one game. Goncalo Ramos, it is the first time he has arrived at our squad in the League of Nations. Goncalo is a very important player for us. It is not a question of who is left out and inside," said Martinez.
The Spanish tactician continued:
"The stop from November to March, there are times when the intensity, pace and synchronization is not there and it was not Cristiano as spearhead, it was in the areas that we expected and it was not the problem of the spearhead.”
Despite hitting 40, Cristiano Ronaldo has been scoring regularly this season. In 33 games for Al-Nassr across competitions, he has netted 28 goals and created four more.
