As Portugal defeated Liechtenstein 4-0 on Thursday to begin their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, new coach Roberto Martinez lauded the impact of record-breaker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Martinez said matches against smaller teams could become traps but that the Portuguese had made the perfect start in Group J against the tiny Alpine principality.
It marked a record 197th cap for Ronaldo, who scored the last two goals at the Jose Alvalade Stadium to extend his record-breaking international tally to 120.
“It was very, very positive,” Martinez told Portuguese television.
“It was an obvious next step from the attitude and the work we did in training. It is always very difficult to play this type of game, they are ‘trap games’, but the way we played with the ball and how we smothered the danger of Liechtenstein was very important.”
Martinez, the former Belgium manager, took over from Fernando Santos after Portugal lost in last year’s World Cup quarterfinal to Morocco in Qatar.
His line-up, however, did not differ much from his predecessor and they were quick to take the lead through Joao Cancelo but failed to add more goals until the start of the second half.
“We started the first half well but then got frustrated,” Martinez said. “We have to grow in these games. The performance in the second half was much better. It was an opportunity to gain three points and more than that for the players to get to know me and.
“When there are numerous opposition players in front of the goal, things are almost always complicated. You must manage your emotions; you cannot be very independent.”
After benching him for their final two World Cup games, Martinez brought Ronaldo back into the starting lineup and praised the 38-year-contribution. old’s
“This cycle is new. Ronaldo demonstrates both the devotion required of a player and the value of his experience “Coach tacked on.
