Martinez reveals the reason for substituting Ronaldo.

Coach Roberto Martinez has spoken out to explain his decision to substitute Cristiano Ronaldo in the 81st minute of the match between Portugal and Croatia on the morning of July 3rd.

Roberto Martinez surprisingly substituted Cristiano Ronaldo while Portugal were being held to a draw by Croatia.

Coach Martinez's decision quickly became the subject of debate. In the 81st minute, just minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo successfully converted a penalty to equalize 1-1, the Spanish strategist unexpectedly substituted his captain, replacing him with Ruben Neves.

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Although Portugal completed their comeback with a decisive goal from Gonçalo Ramos, Ronaldo still showed clear disappointment at having to leave the field before the match was over.

After the match, Martinez insisted that the substitution decision was entirely tactical. According to him, Portugal pushed their formation too high in search of a goal, so they needed to add a midfielder to increase control of the midfield and maintain balance in the final minutes.

"Decisions like that are always made for the benefit of the team. Cristiano is our captain and no other player at the World Cup took a penalty with the same composure as he did at that moment. However, when the whole team is willing to take risks to find a win, we also need to control the midfield and the flow of the game. We have many players with different qualities, but they are all ready to give for the team," Martinez explained.

Ultimately, Portugal came from behind to beat Croatia 2-1 and secure their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Martinez's team will face their rivals Spain on July 7th.

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Source: https://znews.vn/martinez-tiet-lo-ly-do-thay-ronaldo-post1665777.html