Ronaldo Concerns for Portugal? R. Martinez Admits Lack of ‘Magic in the Box’

After Cristiano Ronaldo and his colleagues were subjected to a disheartening 0-0 stalemate against Scotland in their Nations League match, Portugal’s manager, Roberto Martinez, admitted his team’s offensive shortcomings.

Portugal struggled to overcome a strong defence at Hampden Park on a challenging evening against Scotland. Fans criticized Ronaldo and his teammates for missing multiple opportunities despite dominating possession, accusing Ronaldo of “holding Portugal back.” After the final whistle, Ronaldo confronted the referee, clearly frustrated.

Martinez’s Assessment of Portugal’s Performance

Speaking to Record after the match, Roberto Martinez admitted that Portugal lacked a key ingredient in attack:

“A decision, a bit of magic in the box. We had a lot of desire, we worked very well without the ball. It was a dangerous game because we could have had possession, but Scotland doesn’t need much to score a goal.”

Martinez also credited Scotland’s defensive resilience and their goalkeeper’s performance:

“We showed freshness, but we lacked freshness in the final third. We also have to give credit to Scotland, they had a lot of players in front of goal, their goalkeeper also made a spectacular save.”