Portugal coach explains Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement in match against Nigeria

Head coach of the Portuguese national team, Roberto Martínez, has explained the substitution of star player Cristiano Ronaldo after 64 minutes in the friendly match against Nigeria (2-1). "We counted on Cristiano to play 45 or 60 minutes. Nuno Mendes and Gonçalo Ramos each had an individual plan for 30 minutes, while Vitinha and João Neves were scheduled for 45 minutes. It is important to work on individual aspects and have a team that can play stronger at the end than at the beginning," Martínez said, according to Record.

During half-time of the friendly match with Nigeria, Martínez replaced all the outfield players except Cristiano Ronaldo. The 41-year-old attacker only left the field in the 64th minute without contributing to a goal. Portugal will participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Martínez's team has been drawn into group K, where it will face opponents Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia.