Roberto Martinez took Cristiano Ronaldo off simply after the hour mark towards Poland however assured he was solely managing the 39-year-old’s minutes.
Ronaldo was on track for Portugal of their 3-1 win over Poland, doubling their tally after Bernardo Silva’s opener.
Piotr Zielinski supplied the Selecao with a late scare, however Jan Bednarek’s personal purpose ensured Portugal saved their 100% document, and they’re the one crew to win all three video games to date in League A.
The Portugal captain was changed by Diogo Jota, who had a hand of their third purpose, within the 63rd minute, having had three photographs and accumulating 1.43 anticipated objectives (xG).
And Martinez insisted Ronaldo would have an element to play towards Scotland as he praised the crew’s resilience to get the win over the road.
“It’s a part of managing gamers when you’ve two video games in 72 hours. Diogo Jota got here on very effectively. Cristiano is ideal,” Martinez mentioned.
“The primary half was superb. We managed the sport, created alternatives, had superb synchronisation as a crew, defended Poland’s strengths very effectively and scored nice objectives.
“I’m pleased with the brand new gamers who got here in, it appears they’ve a number of worldwide caps.
“Conceding a purpose was a tough second, and it was nice to see the response and rating one other purpose. Total, an excellent efficiency.
“The problem is 2 away video games. 72 hours, recovering effectively. The gamers confirmed all their dedication throughout coaching and work on the Soccer Metropolis.”
Vitória importante na Liga das Nações. Obrigado pelo apoio de todos, vamos com tudo! pic.twitter.com/ycbL9iSJXK
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 12, 2024
Martinez was additionally impressed by debutant Renato Veiga, who began alongside Ruben Dias at centre-back.
The Chelsea defender made seven clearances, essentially the most of any participant on the crew, and helped restrict Robert Lewandowski to simply two photographs, neither of which have been on track.
“He has a really particular profile. In his first coaching session, he confirmed that he gained maturity through the September coaching camp,” Martinez added.
“He’s an aggressive participant, with nice communication abilities, who can defend massive areas, play within the air, towards a Poland facet that could be very robust in set items.
“It was a implausible debut. With a striker like Lewandowski, I feel it’s a debut that reveals Renato’s potential and the way he’s working in the meanwhile.”
