Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defended keeping Cristiano Ronaldo on for the full 90 minutes after Wednesday’s 1-1 World Cup draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Houston.
Ronaldo went without a shot on target, extending his scoreless run to five straight World Cup matches and 10 consecutive games at major tournaments.
“It makes no sense to get the best goal scorer in world football out in a game that you need goals,” Martinez said when asked about leaving Ronaldo on while Portugal chased a winner.
Miren como Cristiano Ronaldo se da cuenta que bruno no esta tomando las mejores decisiones para el equipo…. pic.twitter.com/TBN3az032d
— Arielipillo (@arielipillo) June 18, 2026Ronaldo, Portugal’s all-time leading scorer with 143 international goals, became only the second player to appear in six World Cups, after Lionel Messi. His bid to become the first player to score in six different World Cups will continue into Portugal’s next match.
Portugal had taken the lead through João Neves in the sixth minute, but Martinez said the early goal did not help his team control the match. He said Portugal became too cautious in possession, allowing DR Congo to reset defensively.
