“Leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench was a mistake”, Luis Figo blames Portugal’s coach and management for their 2022 FIFA World Cup exit
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Luis Figo speaking about Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal faced humiliation from Morocco after they couldn’t score while losing 1-0 in the quarterfinals. Portuguese legend Luis Figo has his say on CR7 being benched while starting the knockout stages. Many former players and pundits expressed their opinions on the Portuguese coach’s controversial decision.
Luis Figo brutally criticized Fernando Santos’s decision to bench the Portuguese great. He said, “You can’t win a World Cup with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. Win against Switzerland? Excellent! But can you do that in every game? No,”. Luis Figo, along with millions, believes it was a bad idea to keep the goal threat on the bench against Morocco. Portugal missed a couple of crucial chances in the first half.
The Portuguese legend added, “Leaving Cristiano on the bench was a mistake, this defeat is the responsibility of the management and the manager,”. The Real Madrid legend believes the Portugal team management is responsible for the defeat, and leaving CR7 behind was a bad idea. A few games here and there, and the manager has forgotten that the individual has achieved for his nation..
Portugal couldn’t score past Morocco’s strong defensive line, led by Achraf Hakimi, who played a pivotal role in bringing his country to the semifinals. The nation has made history by defeating CR7’s side in a tough battle, as even the greatest goal-scorer of his generation couldn’t breach the backline. Unfortunately, the great will return home with an imperfect yet iconic career.
Cristiano Ronaldo & Portugal’s heartbreaking exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Portugal started with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench again but brought him on early in the second half, being behind on the scoreline 0-1 at the halftime break. But adamant Morocco defended with all they had to change the slender lead into a winning one. Morocco went one man down in stoppage time when Walid Cheddira was sent off after getting two yellow cards during a minute, but with less than five minutes left on the clock, the Portuguese failed to take advantage of the situation.
En-Nesyri made a high leap to head home the game’s only goal just before half-time. Morocco will now face the defending champions France, who beat England 2-1 in the last quarter-final, in the previous four stages on Thursday—cementing its place again in the semifinals. Croatia gets to lock horns with the Argentine lions. Could this be a repeat of the 2018 World Cup? Well, it’s still a question that will soon be answered.
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Akshat Pandey
(275 Articles Published)