According to The Athletic, the 41-year-old Ronaldo started every group stage match at the FIFA World Cup, and for many observers, it was difficult to tell whether Martinez was the team's head coach or simply one of countless obsessive Ronaldo fans. The reality, however, is that Portugal desperately lacks quality backup striker options.

Was it Miami Gardens or Barranquilla, Colombia? Honestly, it was hard to tell the difference. A sea of yellow-clad supporters filled the Hard Rock Stadium, their jerseys displaying the names of Carlos Valderrama, Andrés Escobar, and James Rodríguez as they formed a yellow wave.

The flight time from Bogotá to Miami was similar to that from New York—a short trip of less than four hours. The proximity to home, combined with the large Colombian expatriate community in Florida, made tickets for this decisive Group K match the most sought-after of the group stage.

Ronaldo was another major focal point, both as Portugal's leading star and as someone who commands the attention of tens of millions of followers worldwide. But when Ronaldo emerged for his warm-up and his face appeared on the stadium's big screen, widespread boos echoed throughout the venue.

This match had clearly become a home game for Colombia, further compounding Portugal's offensive challenges.

Martinez had the team camp in nearby Palm Beach for preparation, allowing players to acclimate to Florida's hot, humid climate. Two years earlier, Colombia had played the Copa América final at this same stadium; as runners-up in that tournament, they had both the competitive experience and familiarity with the environment.

While the U.S. East Coast was cold and dreary that day, with England playing Panama in light rain in New Jersey, Miami was sweltering. Even with a strong Portuguese squad on paper, this match was destined to be difficult from the start.

Yet Portugal's on-field struggles exceeded even these expectations.

Colombia did not field a full-strength starting lineup. Head coach Néstor Lorenzo made three changes: Luis Díaz, who scored 38 goals across all competitions for Sporting CP last season, was not in the starting eleven; fullback Daniel Muñoz was benched after scoring in both of the first two matches against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uzbekistan; Jhon Mojica was one yellow card away from suspension due to accumulation, and the coaching staff chose not to risk it.

Joao Lukumi and Jefferson Lerma also risked yellow card suspensions but played anyway. Players knew that every move at the Hard Rock Stadium was like walking a tightrope; a yellow card suspension would mean missing the Round of 16 match against Ghana.

In theory, this should have favored Portugal, but reality proved otherwise.

Martinez had one of the tournament's best midfield setups. In this match, he did not start João Neves, opting instead for Ruben Neves—similarly named—alongside Vitinha. Vitinha completed 100% of his passes throughout the match. Despite this, Martinez admitted: "We couldn't control the rhythm of the game or unlock our players' individual abilities."

Portugal's standout performer that night, and the match's man of the match, was goalkeeper Diogo Costa. Colombia took 24 shots on goal during the match, setting a new team record for the most shots in a single FIFA World Cup match, surpassing the 23 shots against the United States in 1994—a tragic classic encounter where Andrés Escobar scored an own goal.

Without goalkeeper Costa and assistant referee Andrew Lindsay making arguably the tournament's most crucial decision in added time—correctly disallowing Davinson Sánchez's goal for a toenail offside—Portugal would have lost this match.

According to Martinez, Colombia finishing first in the group was not a major concern, even if it meant Portugal's Round of 16 opponent would change from Ghana to Croatia, and potential later opponents from Switzerland and Algeria to Spain. "Winning, losing, or drawing today doesn't matter," he stated. "Our goal is to play eight matches, and the opponent doesn't matter."

Martinez said he treated the group stage as a preparation and adjustment phase for the knockout matches. He made substitutions at halftime of each group match, and 22 of the team's players received playing time, with only one player featuring in every minute. Ronaldo played every minute. Against Colombia, he fell into the offside trap on several promising chances; he rarely tracked back defensively, only jogging to participate in corner defense; and after a water break, his first touch resulted in a turnover.

Before the match, a Ronaldo impersonator in full kit awaited him near the tunnel; after the final whistle, an influencer in the mixed zone offered Ronaldo a fist bump, and after Ronaldo reciprocated, the influencer knelt on the ground, crying with joy.

For many, it was difficult to tell whether Martinez was the team's head coach or simply one of countless obsessive Ronaldo fans. He consistently and firmly backed Ronaldo, not only because the veteran scored two goals against Uzbekistan in the group stage's second match, but also because last summer's memories remained fresh: the then-41-year-old star scored against Germany and Spain consecutively in the Nations League semifinals and final.

When asked if he would follow Scaloni's example of resting Messi, or Norway's approach of rotating Haaland, and bench Ronaldo for the third group match, Martinez was emphatic: "We don't make lineup decisions by comparing our players to foreigners; that's both naive and unprofessional. We observe the on-field dynamics in real time and organize the lineup based on daily training condition; there's always room for adjustment. In this match, we had João Neves and Ruben Neves each play 45 minutes, and we also alternated between Diogo Dalot and João Cancelo."

"The key is that players maintain mental stability and respect positional discipline on the field, creating space for team attacks. In this match, Ronaldo was perfectly capable of playing 90 minutes both physically and mentally. Adjustments could be made in the next match, and the same standards apply to him as to other players; everything is based on performance data."

However, the Hard Rock Stadium crowd disagreed with this reasoning; nobody called for the only other striker on the bench, Gonçalo Ramos, to replace Ronaldo.

Four years ago, at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Ramos appeared to have ended Ronaldo's career as a starter for the national team: in the Round of 16 match at Lusail Stadium, Ramos started in place of Ronaldo and scored a hat-trick, leading Portugal to a 6-1 victory over Switzerland. At 21, he shone brightly and was considered the future of the attack.

The following summer, he left Benfica for PSG in a €65 million transfer (equivalent to £56 million or $74 million USD at the time). This week, AC Milan broke that transfer record to sign him for an even higher fee.

Today, with two Champions League trophies, Ramos is not essential to the team's starting lineup, even though he scored the first penalty for PSG in the shootout during the Champions League final in May; he scored only six Ligue 1 goals last season. In the match against the Democratic Republic of Congo, Martinez gave Ramos just eight minutes of playing time, having him play alongside Ronaldo rather than replace him, and his brief appearance made it difficult to make an impact.

Besides Ronaldo, does Portugal have other striker options? Essentially no—unless wingers like Leão are deployed as false nines.

At this FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo has oscillated between legend and burden, and Martinez neither has strong competitors to choose from nor has seriously considered rotation options.

The Spanish coach promised to review group stage performance and make necessary adjustments when the knockout phase begins.

For now, if you want to predict which team will go furthest in this tournament, just listen to the cheers from the Hard Rock Stadium fans for the answer.

Traduit par IA.

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