Copenhagen [Denmark], June 18 (ANI): Former Manchester United legend and Denmark international Peter Schmeichel launched a scathing attack on Portugal manager Roberto Martinez after side’s 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener.
Terming him as “one of the most dissappointing coaches” of the tournament so far, Schmeichel added that Portugal, while they have one of the strongest squads of the tournament, are not playing to their potential.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal were left frustrated after being held to a 1-1 draw by underdogs DR Congo in their opening World Cup group match, as Yoane Wissa’s equaliser cancelled out Joao Neves’ early strike. Ronaldo, who was making his sixth FIFA World Cup appearance, cut a subdued figure in attack, while Manchester United star Bernardo Silva also endured a difficult outing, with Roberto Martinez’s side failing to justify their pre-tournament favourites tag.
The post-match fallout for Portugal has been brutal, particularly for Ronaldo, who was slammed by Thierry Henry, the ex-France and Arsenal legend for looking to score himself, but not making sure that the team scores. Now, it is the coach Roberto who has also caught some criticism. Peter pointed out to Roberto’s failure to win a FIFA World Cup with a squad that is often regarded as their ‘golden generation’, with stars like Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard at their peaks. Roberto earned a third-place medal in the FIFA WC 2018 and a group stage exit in the next edition at Qatar with Belgium.
After the match, Peter was quoted by Goal.com as saying, “Roberto Martinez has to be one of the most disappointing coaches of this World Cup so far. He wasted Belgium’s golden generation, and now it seems the same thing is happening with Portugal.”
He was frustrated with Roberto leaving out attackers like Joao Felix and Rafael Leao on the bench, saying that Portugal is too “attacking” to be so “predictable and cautious”.
“How can you leave players like Joao Felix and Rafael Leao on the bench while maintaining a system that clearly isn’t working? Portugal has too much attacking talent to appear so predictable and cautious. His tactics are too conservative. The attack lacks creativity, the midfield often seems disconnected, and his substitutions usually come too late to change the game,” he said.
With the clash against Uzbekistan set to take place on June 23, Martizen has cautioned that Portugal has to turn things around or else another opportunity to get the trophy will be wasted.
“Portugal has one of the strongest squads in the tournament, but they are not playing anywhere near their potential. If things don’t change quickly, Portugal could waste another golden opportunity to win the World Cup,” he warned. (ANI)
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