Roberto Martinez insists substituting Cristiano Ronaldo would have been against his strategy after Portugal’s World Cup defeat to Spain.
Portugal are out of the World Cup after Mikel Merino’s goal in the 91st minute sealed the win for Spain, who will now play Belgium in the quarter-final on Friday.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, struggled to make an impact against Spain but was left on the pitch for the duration of the game with Martinez refusing to call on Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos.
Ronaldo scored three goals at the World Cup this summer – two in the 5-0 win over Uzbekistan and a penalty in the 2-1 victory over Croatia in the last-32 stage – but the 41-year-old has faced criticism over his lack of impact in Portugal’s attack.
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When asked about the decision to keep Ronaldo on the pitch against Spain, Martinez said: ‘It’s an easy way to analyse things.
‘Physically, Cristiano was fully fit to play 90 minutes. He creates space, adapts to situations. It’s very important to have someone like that inside the penalty area.
‘Perhaps in extra time it would have been good to have Goncalo Ramos, but that wasn’t the strategy today. Today we needed to be able to stop Spain’s attacking players, and it didn’t make sense to take our forwards off.
‘Rafael Leao was the best player against Croatia, the last time he played 90 minutes was some time ago, and he needed to be protected.
‘It’s not about criticism. I’m not at all disappointed with the performance. We wanted to reach the final, and I’m extremely proud. We played against one of the favourites and created discomfort at times, but when we don’t score, we run this risk.
‘We’ve already played against France, Spain, Germany, we won the Nations League… I look at the journey with pride. The result today wasn’t what we expected, but that happens in tournaments like this.’
Martinez also confirmed that he is now leaving his role as Portugal’s head coach as his contract was due to expire after the World Cup.
Former Benfica head coach, Jorge Jesus, who managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr last season, is favourite to replace Martinez as Portugal’s manager.
‘It’s true that this is my last game for the Portuguese national team but I have two points to make. First, I want to thank the Portuguese people because it was an incredible period, a source of pride I can’t describe. The strength, the energy of the fans, of the entire population. Thank you for that. I’ll take these memories with me for a lifetime,’ Martinez said.
‘Second, I want to thank the players for their work because it was incredible. So much talent. But it was the commitment to being a team.
‘It’s very easy to have good players in the national team because they are the best, but the important thing is to form a team. These are 45 games, the best numbers in Portugal’s history. And that’s the players’ commitment.
‘Memories of winning the Nations League, of breaking records… I want to thank the Federation for all the conditions, the coaching staff, who from day one showed an incredible level of professionalism. They worked very hard to help our players. I take incredible memories with me and my gratitude to the Portuguese people.
‘I came to Portugal to win the World Cup and I think that, without winning, it doesn’t make sense to continue. The board and the president now have the possibility to choose the new coach. The president has always supported my work, but my contract ends today. There’s not much more to say.’
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