Warning Cristiano Ronaldo & Portugal, Roberto Martinez Reacts To England’s Great Escape Vs Slovakia

UEFA Euro 2024 is not falling short of surprises. The tournament has already experienced some thrilling matches with quite a few upsets, including matches between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and the Netherlands. But, in a tremendous turn of events, one of the biggest favorites of the tournament, England, made a stunning comeback against Slovakia in the Round of 16, thanks to Jude Bellingham’s stunner. However, while England struggled against the 45th-ranked team in the world, Portugal’s manager, Roberto Martinez, acknowledged the tournament’s difficulty and cautioned his team to stay focused.

According to reports, Martinez felt that England wasn’t the only team to suffer in this stiff competition. He said, “It shows the level of matches in the European Championship yesterday. There was also a decisive minute in the match between Germany and Denmark.” In addition, he did not blame England for their poor performance but praised Slovakia for their attitude.

He further said, “We know Slovakia well, they are very well organized. I watched the first minutes of the match with England. They have a strong character and want to win, and they believe in their ability to achieve that. This means that Matches are decided in small details, and the same applies to Slovenia.” stating that they could face a similar challenge against Slovenia. The Spanish manager commented on the importance of being meticulous in the round of 16 clash tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Three Lions were flattened when the Slovaks went ahead in the 25th minute. But Jude Bellingham struck a magical overhead kick in the 5th minute of stoppage time in the second half taking the game to extra time. Subsequently, their skipper, Harry Kane, sealed the win in the opening minute of ET with a header. Hence Portugal is taking some lessons from the game.

The uneasy task for Portugal amid concern about Cristiano Ronaldo

Roberto Martinez’s squad faced a shocking defeat to Georgia in the last game of Group. The team succumbed to a master class from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in what seemed to be an off day for The Navigators. But a bigger concern is the form of Cristiano Ronaldo who hasn’t scored in the tournament yet. The Al Nassr player had a few attempts at the goal but hasn’t converted any of them which will concern Martinez. In addition, Slovenia has shown its defensive prowess by holding Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham to a goalless draw. However, Ronaldo’s grit was once again seen as he posted a message to the team saying, “Let’s go Portugal!”

Portugal had a better journey in the tournament in contrast to other big teams like France and England. The Navigators scored 5 goals in their first two games but the momentum breaker against Georgia could turn things. Hence, Martinez is aware of the threat Slovenia possesses who haven’t lost a game in Group C. But whether he can come out triumphant in the round of 16 is yet to be seen.