The period following Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo on matchday one was described by Ronaldo as “dark week”, with many fans and pundits questioning whether the 41-year-old should remain in Martinez’s lineup. However, after the emphatic win over Uzbekistan, Martinez issued a response to the criticism of Ronaldo and his team.
“It was a very difficult week, with unfair noise,” Martinez said. “We didn’t get the result we worked for (against DR Congo) and it created a difficult situation because there’s noise. Noise that was unfair, ‘fake news’, aspects that were malicious. After a result like that, it’s easy to make excuses, to look the other way, but our players focused and had an incredible attitude.”
