Portugal have brushed aside criticism ahead of their FIFA World Cup clash against Uzbekistan after a disappointing 1-1 draw with DR Congo. Defender Ruben Dias said external criticism, including scrutiny of Cristiano Ronaldo's goal drought, is merely "noise" and stressed the team remains focused. Dias also declared himself fit and confident Portugal can overcome Uzbekistan's likely defensive setup.
Houston: Ahead of their second FIFA World Cup clash against Uzbekistan, the Portugal team has shut out all the noise surrounding the team and particularly the 41-year-old legend Cristiano Ronaldo after a disappointing 1-1 draw with DR Congo, saying that "criticism is not significant" and their most beloved player is "used to dealing with media".
Cristiano-led Portugal played out an underwhelming 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their FIFA WC opener, despite scoring early and dominating the vast majority of ball possession. Cristiano, making his record sixth World Cup appearance, looked pretty underwhelming as his goal drought at major tournaments extended to 10 matches, dating back to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the game, Portugal star Ruben Dias said, as quoted by Reuters, "The criticism is not significant for us, it's noise and part of the competition ... It is all noise."
"It always happens if you have a match that does not go well. We are closing ourselves off from unnecessary criticism," he added.
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