Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has said his side will treat the knockout stage as a fresh tournament in its own right, ahead of their round of 32 clash with Croatia in Toronto on 2 July.
Portugal finished second in Group K behind Colombia after a difficult opening phase, drawn matches against DR Congo and Colombia sandwiching a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan. “Tomorrow we will begin the second World Cup, the preparation was very important,” Martinez said of the group stage.
The Spaniard is well aware of the threat posed by opponents who reached the final in 2018 and finished third in 2022. “Croatia is a team we know very well. They also know our strengths and our talent, so it will be a competitive match,” he said.
Martinez also addressed criticism from Portuguese media after Cristiano Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes in the final group game against Colombia, a decision that raised questions over game time for fellow striker Goncalo Ramos. The coach dismissed the concerns. “What’s important is that all the players are ready to play for the team, whether in the starting lineup or on the bench,” he said.
Much of the attention around the fixture will fall on the two captains, Ronaldo, 41, and his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric, 40, with the meeting likely to be a final World Cup appearance for one of them. Martinez praised both as figures who transcend the sport. “People talk about age, but age is just a number. What matters is what they do and the example they set in the locker room,” he said.
The match also carries deep emotional weight for Portugal, coming a day before the anniversary of forward Diogo Jota’s death in a car crash last year. Midfielder Vitinha said the squad carried extra motivation to honour Jota’s memory. “We have all the motivation to win tomorrow, for our families, for Diogo Jota, for the whole country, for the whole of Portugal. This is why we’re going to do everything we can, really our best, to win against Croatia,” he said.
