After captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance, it was Roberto Martinez’s turn to preview the game against Spain in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup and he was faced with the possibility of Portugal having to play with two strikers, as happened briefly against Croatia, a scenario he acknowledged although initially unlikely.
— We need to talk not only about the opponent, but also about the game moments. The first half against Croatia was very good, but when you are superior and the opponents score, that is the moment when we needed to change the dynamic and it was important to have two strikers to reach the goal and prepare the defenders. Then when we scored it was a different game, Croatia is also a team that uses the ball well and we had to adapt in midfield. We couldn’t play worse,” he began his explanation at the press conference.
“In terms of game aspects, the opponent, what we are looking for, the main thing is for the players to add. We have a lot of flexibility, the team can use attacking formations with two strikers, one, three number 10s, players inside, changing legs. This was the work we had done for three and a half years and it would have been a weak point to limit our game to an offensive formation or a tactical aspect. Our strength is the flexibility we have and all the players are prepared. 21 players have already entered the field and I believe that Inacio and Guedes can help the team,” he added, praising the opponents.
“We have a lot of respect for our opponent, Spain are a very, very good team with a very clear idea. We are better on the ball, we need to defend on the ball, highlight the quality of our players, but it is important to show a complete game. We need to play well without the ball, defend quickly, make transitions, we already saw this in the Nations League final. The 2:2 result was short, and tomorrow will be the same. We need the individual to keep the level and intensity high and to be able to utilize the whole group. We need freshness so that the players on the bench can improve to be able to maintain the level of performance that both teams have,” he said.