Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo has shared a message to his teammates ahead of their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Armenia. The Al-Nassr skipper wants them to fight for the nation and secure the top place in the group.
Cristiano Ronaldo shares message for Portugal teammates
Taking to Instagram, Ronaldo sposted a recent photo of the Portugal players celebrating a goal and wrote a caption motivating them to perform well on the pitch. He wrote:
"Let's go team! All together today and forever! For Portugal and our flag!"
The national team skipper was sent off in the 2-0 loss against Ireland last week and misses the final World Cup qualifier today, November 16. Bruno Fernandes spoke about Ronaldo's absence in a crucial game in his pre-match press conference and said:
"A red card is something normal in football. It was a moment where Cristiano Ronaldo reacted in a way that cost him dearly. He knows it wasn't something he wanted to do, but it happened, and he knows he made a mistake."
"He won't be able to help us tomorrow, but that doesn't change the fact that even before the red card, we were already behind in the score. Obviously, that made things more difficult because we were only playing with ten men, and we didn't have a player capable of scoring at any moment."
Portugal's qualification scenario for FIFA World Cup 2026
Portugal need a win or a draw against Armenia to finish on top of the group and qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup. A defeat could see them finish second in the table if Hungary defeat Ireland, and they will be forced to compete in the playoffs to secure their berth.
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez reflects on Cristiano Ronaldo situation
On the other hand, national team manager Roberto Martinez said that the red card was unfortunate, saying that VAR did not check all angles before making a decision and said:
"Of course, we did. I think it's difficult for a player like Cristiano, who is in the box. And today he had two defenders always with physical contact. There is no violence. He tries to remove the defender and it was unlucky that the VAR consideration... The angle of the images [makes it seem] worse than what happened. It's Ronaldo's first red card in the national team, it's incredible."
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the first game of the upcoming FIFA World Cup if they finish first in the group to qualify for the tournament. If they finish second, he will miss the first leg of the play-off.