Reasons for the blank Portuguese performance: blaming only C. Ronaldo is unfair.

2026-07-07 14:26 © scanpix

The Portugal national football team was unable to move mountains at the World Championship.

The team, which has numerous stars in its ranks, played poorly and ultimately lost 0:1 to Spain in the knockout stage.

After the unpleasant results, fans tried to blame Portugal's attacking leader Cristiano Ronaldo, but, according to the English press, that is not fair.

It is claimed that although the veteran's play limited the team's options, the biggest problem was coach Roberto Martinez's tactics.

The 52-year-old Spaniard failed to utilize the talented generation of Portuguese players. His chosen tactics did not allow such midfielders as Vitinha, Joao Neves, or Bruno Fernandes to showcase their abilities, as they perform much more effectively in clubs.

The players were positioned too far apart from each other, the full-backs and wingers duplicated each other's functions, and there was a lack of creativity in the midfield.

Moreover, the coach hardly changed the game plan and did not adapt it to the strengths of the players he had.

Instead of more flexible solutions, he stuck to one plan that did not work against stronger opponents. It is said that even substituting C. Ronaldo for another forward would not have resolved the team's main issues.