Portugal coach Martinez explains why he kept Ronaldo on despite missed chances against Nigeria

Portugal head coach, Roberto Martinez, has explained why he kept captain Cristiano Ronaldo on for over an hour despite his missed chances against Nigeria.

Ronaldo put on a disappointing display in front of goal against Nigeria as his team claimed a narrow 2-1 win in the friendly encounter on Wednesday night.

The 41-year-old was replaced by Gonçalo Ramos in the 65 minutes of the encounter in Leiria.

Explaining his decision to keep the Al-Nassr forward for over 60 minutes, Martinez said (via O Jogo), “Diogo Costa had a 90-minute plan, Cristiano 60.

“Nuno Mendes was going to have 30 and 45 minutes for Vitinha and João Neves. I am very pleased with the attitude and focus of all the players.

“Being able to have the idea of making changes to the team and showing synchronization is a source of pride.”

Ronaldo will hope to improve on his goal-scoring chances when Portugal face DR Congo in their World Cup opener next Wednesday.