Diogo Dalot appears to have done enough in Portugal’s humiliating 2-1 World Cup loss to South Korea to earn a place in his country’s starting line-up for the round of 16 match against Switzerland.
Dalot provided an excellent assist for Portugal’s goal but also made a couple of poor passes that put his team in danger.
However, his overall performance was strong enough to have convinced A Bola to give the nod to Benfica’s Rafael Guerreiro, who was replacing the injured Nuno Mendes.
Meanwhile, the same outlet and Correio de Manha report that former United player Cristiano Ronaldo could be facing the ax after another lackluster performance against the Koreans.
“It’s time to ask yourself if Ronaldo should be the starter,” says A Bola, while Correio says that “there are limits.”
“The Portuguese Football Federation does not want to destabilize the national team,” the newspaper says.
“[But] no one is unaware that Cristiano Ronaldo’s outburst was directed at [manager] Fernando Santos.
“The coach has been the captain’s most faithful defender… but there are limits.
“The numbers show that Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, [stet]He can no longer play as before, despite the fact that that is his wish.
Correio points out that the 37-year-old player registered only two of nine shots on goal, lost possession on 10 occasions, “did not create a single goal opportunity and, on the contrary, missed three great chances.”
It also stands out that he was the player most whistled for offside throughout the entire group stage of the World Cup and that he achieved the dubious honor of appearing in the worst XI in the group stage.
Whether Santos will be able to risk upsetting his captain, as well as the entire nation, by dropping him remains to be seen. He would certainly be out of place, but maybe, as the two outlets say, enough is enough.
For Dalot, however, the decision is much easier and the United star could still play a significant role in his country’s bid for glory.
