After the sensational defeats of Argentina and Germany, no one can claim to be the absolute favorite at the start of the World Cup. Especially not the team that is at the center of the reality show with Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal plays Ghana at 17 p.m., just two days after CR7 ended his cooperation with Manchester United by mutual consent and put an end to a painful second term at Old Trafford.
The head coach of the 2016 European champions, Fermando Santos, assures that this whole situation will not affect his team.
- It wasn't even discussed at all. That topic was never raised in the team, even he didn't talk about it - said the experienced strategist.
Although the Portuguese public has turned its back on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and wants him to be on the bench, Santos has no dilemma and the 37-year-old from Funchal will start his 192nd game in the national team's jersey as captain.
The captain of Manchester United Bruno Fernandes, who was caught by the cameras as "squealing" the greeting with yesterday's teammate at the beginning of the preparations of the national team, emphasizes that he did not discuss the whole situation with Ronaldo.
- I don't feel uncomfortable, I don't have to choose a side. It was a dream to play with him for United, but we know nothing lasts forever. It was good while it lasted - pointed out the lucid midfielder.
At the previous World Cup, the Portuguese were defeated in the round of 2016 by Uruguay, and Santos does not want that to happen again. But he doesn't want the same thing to happen to him at Euro XNUMX, when he reached the knockout stage with three draws in the group, even though his team won the title then.
- The shock was experienced not only by Argentina and Germany, but also by other teams. That's why it's important to be serious and start the tournament with a win.
Ghana has long been the greatest hope of African football, and in 2010 in South Africa under the leadership of Milovan Rajevac, they reached the quarter-finals and became the first selection from the Black Continent to do so. She also had a penalty in extra time against Uruguay for the semi-finals, but Asamoah Djan was inaccurate.
The "Black Stars" have not been so successful since then, they did not even qualify for the World Cup in Russia, and now under the leadership of Otto Ado they want to show what they can do. And they don't want to look back on the situation with Ronaldo, but to do what Tunisia and Morocco did in the 1st round - to stop the European selection.
- We are not interested in what happens in the Portuguese team. They are all great professionals, they are playing in the World Cup and they will be ready, whatever else happens. Portugal is the favorite on paper, it's up to us to prove that what happens on the pitch is more important than that. We have to be relaxed, whatever happens in this game we will have a chance to go to the round of 2014. We just need to be brave - said Ghana's captain Andre Aju, the only one with his brother Jordan who played in the current team's defeat to Portugal at the World Cup in Brazil in 2 (1:XNUMX
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