Ronaldo Misses Two Big Chances as Portugal Beats Nigeria 2-1

Portugal kicked off their 2026 World Cup campaign with back-to-back wins against Chile and Nigeria. However, Cristiano Ronaldo's goal-scoring performances in both matches sparked concerns among fans, as he failed to score in either game despite playing for a considerable amount of time.

Against Nigeria, Ronaldo started the match and was substituted in the 65th minute. The striker took four shots with an expected goals metric of 1.19 (indicating a good chance of scoring at least one goal), the highest among all players on the field.

Unfortunately, Ronaldo's efficiency was zero shots on target, including two clear misses when facing the Nigerian goalkeeper from wide angles.

The first chance came in the 9th minute. CR7 once again showcased his exceptional movement and positioning to evade an offside trap and receive a pass from a teammate. However, his shot went wide of the goal.

Ronaldo missed another chance shortly after the first-half break. He positioned himself well to avoid Nigerian defenders but was let down by a teammate's pass that arrived late, putting Ronaldo in a difficult position to shoot.

After the match, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez declined to comment on Ronaldo's performance. When asked why he replaced almost the entire squad but kept Ronaldo on the field, Martinez replied, 'We planned for Cristiano Ronaldo to play 45-60 minutes, and we achieved our goal. Nuno Mendes played 30 minutes with Goncalo Ramos, 45 minutes for Vitinha and Joao Neves. This match was also good for Matheus Nunes, who was not in his best physical condition for the previous match.'

The Portuguese coach then evaluated his team's performance leading up to the 2026 World Cup: 'I'm happy with the players' performance, their attitude, focus, and the fact that they were able to make nine substitutions and show the same level of cohesion as in their club performances. This also shows the players' effort and focus in training.'

Sources: https://vtcnews.vn/video-khoanh-khac-ronaldo-2-lan-bo-lo-co-hoi-kho-tin-ar1022986.html

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