Roberto Martinez: Cristiano Ronaldo Showed His Commitment to Portugal
The post Roberto Martinez: Cristiano Ronaldo Showed His Commitment to Portugal appeared first on The12thMan.
Portugal cruised to a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein in a UEFA EURO Qualifiers match, courtesy of a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and a goal each from Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo.
It was Portugal’s first game since their elimination from FIFA World Cup 2022. It was also Roberto Martinez’s first game in charge of Portugal’s national football team.
Joao Cancelo gave Portugal the lead in the eighth minute of the match before Bernardo Silva doubled their tally in the 47th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo then joined the party, converting a penalty in the 51st minute. That penalty was awarded for a foul on Cancelo inside the box.
The Portuguese superstar then bagged his second goal of the match in the 63rd minute. Cristiano Ronaldo blasted a free-kick into the Liechtenstein net to send Portugal 4-0 up and get their UEFA EURO Qualifiers campaign off to a winning start.
Speaking after the match, Roberto Martinez said Cristiano Ronaldo showed his commitment to Portugal’s national football team.
Later in the press conference, Roberto Martinez added: “Ronaldo is a player with great experience, as you can see. There are many levels of experience. The degree of commitment was very good.”
Speaking ahead of the match, Ronaldo admitted he had considered retirement from international football after the struggles in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Portugal’s then-manager Fernando Santos benched Ronaldo in their knockout matches at Qatar 2022.
There were questions over Cristiano Ronaldo’s international future after FIFA World Cup 2022. However, Roberto Martinez called up Ronaldo to the Portugal squad for their UEFA EURO Qualifiers matches during the March international break.
Meanwhile, Portugal will take on Luxembourg in their next UEFA EURO Qualifiers match. That game between Portugal and Luxembourg will kick off at 12:15 am Indian Standard Time on March 27. Portugal will be aiming to make it two wins in two matches in UEFA EURO Qualifiers when they take on Luxembourg.
The post Roberto Martinez: Cristiano Ronaldo Showed His Commitment to Portugal appeared first on The12thMan.
