Fernando Santos justified his decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting lineup for Portugal’s Nations League opener against Spain by claiming the forward would be more effective from the bench.
Ronaldo came close to scoring in the 62nd minute but failed to score as a late Ricardo Horta saved a 1–1 draw.
“Is that Cristiano Ronaldo?” They often ask why he is the starter. “It’s the million dollar question,” Santos said after the result on Thursday. “I felt it was best to use the same players as in this game.”
Ronaldo’s absence, according to Santos, was not due to his lack of ability. The 37-year-old had a fantastic season for Manchester United, scoring 24 goals across all competitions.
“It was a technical and tactical choice for this game.” It seemed to us the best solution because we wanted to play and approach the game in a certain way. Cristiano’s ability has nothing to do with it, not even that question.”It is,” he stated.
“There are moments in sports when you have to think differently. We believed he could come and solve the game in the second half.
Spain had taken the lead in Seville thanks to a goal from Alvaro Morata, but the hosts were unable to convert their chances in the second half, with Jordi Alba missing a last-minute win.