Football review Iceland vs Portugal: Ronaldo plays supporting role

Portugal have won three consecutive matches, scoring a total of 13 goals and conceding none. In the attacking style of play under coach Roberto Martinez, Cristiano Ronaldo still occupies an irreplaceable position. However, fans are starting to see CR7 giving more space to his teammates around him.

This was evident in the recent win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ronaldo only had four shots, one of which was ruled out for offside. Most of the striker’s touches were far from the danger zone.

Football review Iceland vs Portugal: Ronaldo plays supporting role - 1 — Ronaldo did not score in Portugal's win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

When Ronaldo is in the background, Bruno Fernandes shines. Portugal still has many players with the potential to explode like that. Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Diogo Jota... When coach Martinez finds the right formula, Portugal's attack will increase significantly in strength.

Portugal face a challenge in the form of Iceland - not a difficult opponent. The team led by coach Age Haraide can no longer maintain the image of a dense, impenetrable defense like in the 2016-2018 period.

Iceland have won just one of their five matches since the start of 2023. They are the second-highest scorers in the group so far, but apart from a 7-0 win over Liechstenstein, they have not scored more than once in any match since September 2022. The hosts are also without their full strength for this match, with captain Aron Gunnarsson injured.

After losing to Slovakia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland's chances of qualifying for EURO 2024 have significantly diminished. They can only hold on to hope if they can pull off a surprise win over Portugal. However, this seems an impossible task.