Portugal will hope to prove they have not been affected by the “noise” surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo following their disappointing start to the 2026 World Cup as they face Uzbekistan.
Ronaldo came in for huge criticism as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their opening Group K game, Joao Neves’ early goal cancelled out by Yoane Wissa’s header.
It was a game in which questions about Ronaldo’s role up front grew more pertinent. The 41-year-old was a peripheral figure, with none of his three shots hitting the target.
Portugal were arguably fortunate not to lose the game, as DR Congo created the better chances to win in an extremely impressive showing from the African side.
But Manchester City defender Ruben Dias, who missed that contest, insisted Portugal are not listening to the critics.
“The criticism is not significant for us, it’s noise and part of the competition … It’s all noise,” Dias told reporters.
“It always happens if you have a match that doesn’t go well. We’re closing ourselves off from unnecessary criticism.
“Cristiano, of course, is used to dealing with the media pressure we usually face in the club, the national team, world tournaments, European competitions.
“In this sort of competition, it will never be perfect … This is a competition you can win only if you play well game after game.”
Uzbekistan, having seen their hopes of progression hurt by a 3-1 loss to Colombia in their opener, may opt for a defensive approach in order to blunt Portugal’s attacking talent.
DR Congo did an excellent job of frustrating Portugal then threatening on the counter, but Dias is confident Roberto Martinez’s side can break Uzbekistan down.
“I come from playing most of my club matches against teams that use a back five, so I have a very clear idea about it,” Dias said.
“Respecting positional discipline becomes decisive in matches like these.
“I believe we have players with enough quality that, by respecting our positions and making the right decisions, we can make the difference.”
Table of Contents
Team news for Portugal v Uzbekistan
Portugal will hope Dias can return after missing the DR Congo game with a knock.
Uzbekistan have no injury concerns following their defeat to Colombia.
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