Portugal Coach Fernando Santos Breaks Silence on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Poor Form, Says It’s Football

New Delhi: Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is going through a rough patch this season as the goals have dried up and there’s a noticeable dip in the Manchester United star’s performance as well.

In 2022, Ronaldo has featured in 14 matches for club and country, managing to score only thrice as of now. In Portugal’s recent UEFA Nation’s League outing against Spain, the 2016 Euro Champions went down 1-0 in the Iberian Derby, with the Portuguese superstar missing a host of chances.

Fans have shown concerned about the 37-year old’s form and many demanded that he should be benched in the upcoming World Cup, considering his poor run.

Speaking after the loss against Spain, Portugal boss Fernando Santos said that it’s part and parcel of football as CR7 missed a number of chances, quite a number being very good ones.

“What interests me is how the team played. Ronaldo had three or four chances. Two very good ones, which he usually scores. He didn’t score. It’s football” Santos said.

Santos also talked about the Serbia game from the World Cup qualification, where they were beaten in the closing stages of the game.

“Did I learn from the Serbia game? You can’t compare this game to the Serbia game. Against Serbia we scored but then we did not create any more chances. We’ve changed a lot since then, the way we play, the way we think about the game. Of course there are always things to improve. This elimination doesn’t undermine me at all. I have a contract until 2024,” he said

“This is the second time we’ve conceded a goal right at the end [after the Serbia defeat]. If we have to defend we should defend with everything. The players and I are devastated at the end of this game,” he added.