Portugal head coach, Roberto Martinez, has explained why he kept captain Cristiano Ronaldo on for over an hour despite his missed chances against Nigeria.
Ronaldo put on a disappointing display in front of goal against Nigeria as his team claimed a narrow 2-1 win in the friendly encounter on Wednesday night.
The 41-year-old was replaced by Gonçalo Ramos in the 65 minutes of the encounter in Leiria.
Explaining his decision to keep the Al-Nassr forward for over 60 minutes, Martinez said (via O Jogo), “Diogo Costa had a 90-minute plan, Cristiano 60.
“Nuno Mendes was going to have 30 and 45 minutes for Vitinha and João Neves. I am very pleased with the attitude and focus of all the players.
“Being able to have the idea of making changes to the team and showing synchronization is a source of pride.”
Ronaldo will hope to improve on his goal-scoring chances when Portugal face DR Congo in their World Cup opener next Wednesday.