England Today sits beside Portugal on Day 13 of the World Cup, but the sharper issue is whether Cristiano Ronaldo at 41 stays in the Portugal XI against Uzbekistan. Portugal drew DR Congo in their opener, and the line between control and disruption has already been drawn around one forward.
Portugal and England Today
Portugal had 75% of possession against DR Congo and still left with a performance that made Ronaldo the focus again. João Neves scored Portugal's opening goal, while Ronaldo was described as dreadful and did not score from open play in either the last World Cup or the Euros.
That is why the question around Roberto Martinez is not cosmetic. If Ronaldo starts, Portugal are trying to carry a 41-year-old forward whose recent record in major tournaments has not supplied open-play goals; if he does not, Gonçalo Ramos is expected to step in, with Rafael Leão expected to return to the starting line.
Roberto Martinez and Ronaldo
The selection problem is blunt. Martinez has to decide whether Portugal keep building around Ronaldo or move to the structure suggested by the first match, where possession was high and the attack still lacked clean finishing from open play.
Ronaldo's role keeps drawing attention because the match against DR Congo did not hide the issue. Portugal controlled the ball, Neves scored, and yet the forward line still produced a conversation about whether one player is slowing the rest of the team down.
Uzbekistan and Matchday 3
Portugal are scheduled to take on Uzbekistan next, and the result shapes the route from Day 13 into Matchday 3. A win takes the pressure off; anything else leaves Portugal needing a result against Colombia to advance to the knockout stages.
England remain one of the centerpiece teams on Day 13, but Portugal's selection call is the one with the clearest consequence right now. Can Roberto Martinez bench Cristiano Ronaldo? The answer will decide whether Portugal keep asking 90 minutes of work from a 41-year-old or turn the attack over to a different front line.
