Portugal with boss Jorge Jesús will speak Cristiano Ronaldo after the veteran forward expressed his displeasure at not making an appearance last night Nations League victory in Norway.
Jesus’ decision to name Ronaldo on the bench was vindicated when his substitute Goncalo Ramos scored the winner shortly after Erling Haaland had canceled out Joao Felix’s opener.
The Al-Nassr superstar disappeared straight down the tunnel after the game, opting not to join his team-mates on the pitch as they celebrated the win with the traveling supporters.
UEFA Nations League,
League A-2
-
place
- Ullevaal Stadium
-
referee
- Francois Letexier
Erling Haaland 51′
Joao Felix 17′
Gonçalo Ramos 54′
It was a clear act of petulance from the 41-year-old and Jesus confirmed he would speak to Ronaldo in the coming days.
He said: “I hadn’t noticed (Ronaldo hadn’t celebrated the win). I noticed after the game and I’ve already been asked several questions about it. Only he can answer. The fact is that the fact that he didn’t play today means he’s a player I don’t count on. I count on him.”
“Before the game I told him: ‘I won’t start you from the beginning, but during the game I will start you.’
“But that’s football, football dictates things to you which means that, in this case, I didn’t think it was justified to make a change of attack. The game did not identify with the characteristics of Cris, knowing that we also have a game with Denmark.
“That doesn’t mean that now he can’t be the first choice in the match with Denmark (Thursday).”
I know him well: Jorge happy to talk to Ronaldo
Jesus knows Ronaldo better than most as the pair combined to help Al-Nassr win the Saudi Pro League title last season.
He added: “It’s true that I have to talk to him, don’t I? But I know him very well. Of course the Portuguese national team is the Portuguese national team, it’s not the same as a club, but for me it’s nothing new. The national team is all of us and him as the captain of the team… I don’t know how to answer specifically until I’ve spoken to him.”
Ronaldo started the Group A4 match with Wales last Thursday but came off midway through the second half in a game Portugal won 1-0 and they now sit top of the group with a 100% record after the win in Oslo.
“It was a good win,” Jesus said. “For me, this Norwegian team is one of the top five in Europe. They have a striker (Erling Haaland) who can score at any time, it’s amazing. But our back line, and especially our two central players (Renato Veiga and Rúben Dias), with the help of João Palhinha and Rúben Neves, when they got really strong in defense. shots inside the area and goal from one of them.
“I’m happy with the squad. This process is not easy. You have to make adjustments during Nations League games. This is not a friendly where coaches can experiment. Here, you try something and it goes well or it goes wrong. It’s a risk. If it goes wrong, you can’t go back.”
