UEFA Euro Cup 2024 took further steps toward its completion with Portugal locking horns against Slovenia in Frankfurt. The Portuguese would feel blessed with good luck to see their European journey still going. The Slovenians were on course to cause a major upset and disrupt what could possibly have been the last-ever game in the Euros for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The captain of the Portugal National Team was undoubtedly the focus of all the attention against Slovenia. All eyes were on Ronaldo to finally open his account in Euro 2024, which the legend came close to doing on several occasions. His penalty miss in the first half of the extra-time could have proved to be catastrophic but the Portuguese journey continues on. Roberto Martinez, however, has some challenging times ahead if alterations are not made to the setup.
Portugal’s tactical setup is not providing the ideal outcome
Roberto Martinez heavily rotated his playing eleven against Georgia when qualification was a done deal. The first eleven were back against Slovenia with a good enough recovery time in their bags. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that the levels of display still haven’t seen a change from the group stages, which is a real shame considering the talent at Portugal’s disposal.
For all of Portugal’s dominance in possession, the 2016 European Champions never really looked like troubling Jan Oblak. In fact, it was Slovenia who had the two best chances to open the scoring. Rafael Leao and Bernardo Silva have been huge disappointments so far on the wings with their unproductive output not aiding Portugal. Next up for them is France, who will surely target these limitations to hurt the Portuguese.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s role still not comprehensible
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is visibly distraught with himself in the tournament so far. For the first time ever in his legendary career, Ronaldo looks to be going without a goal in a major international tournament. Age can be undeniably raised as a factor for that, but the setup around him is also not optimally utilizing either Ronaldo or those around him.
The 39-year-old often looks isolated in the penalty box which subsequently allows the centre-backs to solely limit their focus on Ronaldo. It has been no surprise that the former Real Madrid star has been outnumbered in the box, thus limiting his threat. The likes of Rafael Leao, Bernardo Silva, and Bruno Fernandes need to crash in the box more often to create an air of unpredictability around the attacking plan of Portugal.