HOUSTON (AP) 鈥� Portugal coach Roberto Mart铆nez wouldn鈥檛 say if Cristiano Ronaldo would start Tuesday鈥檚 match against Uzbekistan after the superstar’s forgettable performance in the team鈥檚 opener.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 inform you about the starting 11 because I haven鈥檛 informed my players,鈥� Mart铆nez said Monday when asked if Ronaldo would remain in the lineup.
The 41-year-old in Portugal鈥檚 1-1 draw with Congo.
Television pundits and social media users criticized Ronaldo after he missed on a couple of good scoring chances in the second half. Some wondered why Mart铆nez didn鈥檛 substitute him in the second half with the team struggling offensively.
Mart铆nez said criticism does not impact his team and said such talk is part of being in an event of this magnitude.
鈥淲e are playing a World Cup so of course we have a lot of noise and tension, but it鈥檚 part of the game,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he focus is on the team and we want to show a positive attitude 鈥� to be ready for the match. We are very much focused. We are strong. The team is even more united than before.鈥�
While not specifically referring to Ronaldo, Mart铆nez added that some of the criticism is 鈥渦nfair, it鈥檚 unjust.鈥�
Ronaldo did not speak to reporters after the game but has posted twice social media since the draw. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game.鈥�
On Sunday, he posted four pictures from a team training session and wrote: 鈥淔ocused on the mission.鈥�
Ronaldo and Argentina鈥檚 became the only men to play in six World Cups with their participation this year. Ronaldo will try again Tuesday to become the first player to score in six World Cups after falling short in the opener.
He currently shares the record with Messi, who has five goals in Argentina鈥檚 two matches this year to give him a record 18 goals across five tournaments. Messi failed to score in 2010.
Despite Ronaldo鈥檚 struggles in the opener, when he had just 25 touches, Mart铆nez remains confident in his ability to help the team finish opportunities in the final third.
鈥淐ristiano is the best one to do that,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he numbers support this of this iconic player who is Cristiano Ronaldo. If you look at the past 32 games, he is the player that has extra movement opening spaces and finding pockets.鈥�
Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro knows not to underestimate Ronaldo despite the results in Portugal鈥檚 first game. While his team is preparing for the team鈥檚 many stars, it is Ronaldo that he said his players must pay particular attention to.
鈥淲e need to be careful when we are in the box because we cannot leave this kind of player alone,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need to be very focused on him because Cristiano can score in every situation, free kicks, even in the corner. So we need to be very careful.鈥�
___
AP World Cup:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
