Ronaldo omission against Spain ‘tactical’, says Santos

 

Portugal's national football team forward Cristiano Ronaldo looks on during a training session at the Cidade do Futebol training camp in Oeiras, outside Lisbon, on March 21, 2022, ahead of the 2022 World Cup qualifying football match against Turkey.

Portugal manager Fernando Santos has defended his decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo for the country’s draw with Spain, saying: “It was better to use the players that I used.”

Portugal and Spain drew 1-1 in their Nations League clash on Thursday night. Spain’s Alvaro

 Morata scored the opener, only for Braga’s Ricardo Horta to score the

 equalising goal on his first Portugal appearance in almost eight years.

Santos elected to drop Ronaldo from his starting eleven, with Portugal’s record goal-scorer

 only introduced midway through the second half.

“Cristiano Ronaldo? They often ask why he is a starter. It’s the million-dollar question,”

 Santos said after Thursday’s result, as per Reuters. “I understood that for

 this game it was better to use the players I used.”

 Santos said after Thursday’s result, as per Reuters. “I understood that for

 this game it was better to use the players I used.”

 this game it was better to use the players I used.”

Santos added that it was a tactical decision to drop Ronaldo for the match.

“It was a technical and tactical option for this game,” he said. “It seemed to us the

 best solution. For the way we wanted to play and approach the game.

 best solution. For the way we wanted to play and approach the game.

“It hasnothing to do with Cristiano's quality, that's not even in question.

“There are  moments in the game when you have to think in a different way. We believed that in the second half he could come in and solve the game.”