Khaberni - Portuguese international player Bruno Fernandes said that the national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo knows he "made a mistake" in the team's defeat against Ireland 0-2 on Thursday when he was sent off, which will prevent him from participating in the crucial match on Sunday against Armenia to ensure direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup.
Fernandes said at a press conference today, Saturday: "The hot weather in the match, the heat of the moment, the frustration of not achieving a positive result, are other things that happen in football. It was a moment when Cris (Cristiano Ronaldo) paid a high price for his reaction, something he knows he didn’t want to do, but it happened in the end."
He said, "He knows he made a mistake and unfortunately he will not be able to help us tomorrow."
Tomorrow, Sunday, Portugal will play a decisive match that it must win against Armenia, which has already been eliminated.
Ronaldo, who has a chance to participate in his sixth World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026), received a direct red card after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review for an elbow movement inside the box where he hit the back of a competing defender, and therefore will not be able to participate in Sunday's match.
Fernandes acknowledged the defensive mistakes Portugal made against Ireland, saying, "It did not go as we wanted... We created few chances because we were not present in the final third of the pitch. I think our build-up was always weak and a bit slow for Ireland's defense. We needed to be more strategic in moving the ball."
He continued, a Manchester United player: "What we need to do tomorrow is to win the match because this team is used to winning and it must continue that way."
He emphasized that the team will strive to impose its style of play and make its abilities "the strongest point in the match" because the varying performance of the team in recent matches "does not change the fact that it wants to win the World Cup."
