On Tuesday, coach Roberto Martinez announced Cristiano Ronaldo’s starting role against Georgia at the bottom of Group F and denied that Portugal were already thinking about the last 16 of Euro 2024.
“We prepared the game for victory. I think the integrity of the tournament is important. This is an important game because the result will determine who it will be and not be determined. Georgia held a very interesting European Championship; they could have beaten the Czech Republic in the last match. They were very competitive against Turkey. We need to continue with the same concentration and win,” said Roberto Martinez.
The national coach spoke to reporters at a press conference on the third and final round of Group F Georgia-Portugal at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
Portugal will enter the field with qualification already guaranteed, as well as a guaranteed first place in the group.
“The focus is on the morning game. [quarta-feira]. We haven’t thought about the 1/8 finals or the opponent yet. The opponent is not important now. This will be important on July 1st. Georgia is important now,” said the Spanish coach.
Martinez confirmed he would make a few changes to Portugal’s starting XI, but once again rejected the word “revolution” and went ahead even with Diogo Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting line-up.
“I can say that the captain will be in the starting lineup. It is important. He played only one preparatory game. His season was very consistent and he played in every game and played a lot of minutes for his club. We don’t have to continue to compete rhythm. It’s good to stop now and then get active again in six days,” explained the 50-year-old coach.
Nuno Mendes, Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos are ready to play, although they still have physical limitations that prevent them from playing 90 minutes.
“Of course, everyone wants to be in the eleven and play 90 minutes, but they also understand that this is very important. If we want to win as a nation, as a team, we need everyone’s help. on the field, off it, in training. The level of preparation is incredible, and our performances are proof of that,” Martinez explained.
The national team coach also once again commented on episodes of pitch invasions by fans trying to get closer to Ronaldo, which happened in the first game against the Czech Republic in Leipzig and then with greater intensity in the match against Turkey in Dortmund.
“I hope there will be no more intrusions. They are dangerous and harmful to the image of football, this is not the part of the game that we want to see,” he emphasized.
The Georgia-Portugal match will take place on Wednesday at 21:00 local time (20:00 in Lisbon) at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen. The judge will be the Swiss Sandro Scharer.
The Portuguese national team has already reached the 1/8 finals and took first place in Group F, in which it has six points, having beaten the Czech Republic (2-1) and Turkey (3-0), and Georgia has one. point, after a defeat to the Turks (3-1) and a draw with the Czechs (1-1).
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.