Roberto Martinez accused of being ‘scared’ to substitute Cristiano Ronaldo at World Cup

FootballSports
18 Jun 2026 • 2:59 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Roberto Martinez accused of being ‘scared’ to substitute Cristiano Ronaldo at World Cup

  • Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in his sixth World Cup on Wednesday as he started Portugal’s first match against DR Congo.
  • The 41-year-old striker struggled to make an impact, but remained on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes.
  • It appeared that he was in line to be substituted in the latter stages of the game, but Portugal boss Roberto Martinez opted to keep Ronaldo on the pitch.
  • BBC commentator Chris Sutton hit out at Martinez’s decision, as he accused the Portugal manager of being “scared” to take off the veteran striker.
  • It proved to be a disappointing afternoon for Portugal as they were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo.

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