Christiano Ronaldo was the biggest absence in Portugal‘s qualification for the World Cup 2026 on Sunday after a crushing 9-1 victory Armenia. With such a dominant performance despite missing their biggest star, head coach Roberto Martinez discussed Ronaldo’s role in the team.
After a disappointing 2-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, Portugal needed a win to avoid putting their World Cup hopes in jeopardy. After more than 20 minutes with the match still tied, Portugal found their rhythm and behind hat-tricks from João Neves and Bruno Fernandes rolled to a 9-1 victory over Armeniatopping Group F with 13 points and reaffirming its status as a serious contender heading into the tournament.
Asked after the match if Portugal is a different team, coach Martinez was direct: “No, we are better with Ronaldo, Nuno Mendes and Pedro Neto. The most important thing is that football is a game of mistakes, challenges and resilience, and if some players are not there, we have to find a way to win..”
Along with Ronaldo’s absence, the Spanish coach also highlighted the losses of Mendes and Netokey members of the Portuguese squad that won the UEFA Nations League in 2025. Both the left-back and winger were left out of the November call-up due to injuries, two key absences that Martinez saw as influential.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after being shown a red card following a VAR review.
The coach then took the opportunity to emphasize the value of rotation and building confidence with the rest of the squad. “I believe the key is to have all the key players, but also to have confidence and a clear idea of that we can win even if some players are not in the starting line-up”, concludes Martínez.
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Ronaldo’s red card has caused concern within the national team, not because he missed the match against Armenia. but for the possibility that the suspension could extend to the World Cup opener. FIFA’s disciplinary committee has opened a file over Ronaldo’s elbow on Dara O’Shea, but the Portuguese national team are hoping to prevent the situation from escalating.
President of the Portuguese Football Federation Pedro Proença addressed Ronaldo’s suspension and set expectations for the fans: “The Portuguese Football Federation and I will do our utmost to ensure that Cristiano’s punishment is as minimal as possible. We have already analyzed the situation legally and it is essential to understand the extenuating circumstances.”
FIFA’s final decision is expected after the November international break, either at the end of the month or early December, according to A Bola. With this in mind, the Federation President remains keen to see Ronaldo available for Matchday 1 of the 2026 World Cup.”We sincerely hope that the sentence will be appropriate and short. We all want Cristiano to be available for the first match of the World Cup”, he concluded.
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