“Ronaldo withdrawal? The reason for the red card is that he has a lot of passion and gets upset when the national team doesn’t win. This is what we want from all players. Then it is very difficult for the forward when he is held, physically contacted. I think about it: if the coach talks about the referee at the press conference, if the defender exaggerates on the field – we accept it.
The footage is worse than it really was, it looks like an elbow. He was held and pushed for 60 or 70 minutes, trying to free himself from the defender. The player is 40 years old, still has the same passion as a debutant in the national team. What leaves a nasty residue is what the Ireland coach said about refereeing before the game… Ronaldo is the benchmark and now we need to win the next game for him.
Next game? It is very important to engage in self-criticism. It was a difficult day. There were many emotions associated with the selection. We have to congratulate Ireland and focus on the next game at home. We need to improve and have a clear understanding of why we lost.
Fullbacks? Today is not the day to talk about players individually. Cancelo and Dalot have been doing it for many years, they can play on both flanks. Joao Felix is in a position we can use effectively. And we played with experienced players who know how to apply our concepts and know British football well.
Why were there changes in the defense at halftime, but not in the attack? I already said that Pedro Neto and Bruno Fernandes were absent. We need time to create connections in the right areas. Cancelo left because of a yellow card, in this situation a red was possible. And we used Renata Veig because of her physical qualities, dueling. He needed another 15-20 minutes to show a clear game.”
Source: sport.ua