Martínez praised Portugal’s team after the match
The Roberto Martínez era of Portuguese football started with a 4-0 Euro qualifier win over humble Liechtenstein in what was a completely one-sided game at Estádio José Alvalade on Thursday night.
With Cristiano Ronaldo back in the starting line-up after being relegated to the bench for the final matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and a new tactic featuring three centre-backs, the national team took the lead eight minutes with a powerful shot from outside the box by right-back João Cancelo.
Despite being completely in control of affairs, Portugal was unable to successfully break through Liechtenstein’s defence in the first half, being almost lulled into passing the ball around without creating significant scoring chances.
This changed just a few minutes into the second half when Bernardo Silva took advantage of a loose ball to give Portugal a 2-0 lead. The goal energised Martínez’s men, especially Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored his 119th and 120th international goals for Portugal as a result of a successful penalty kick and an impressive free kick.
Portugal continued to control the match until the final whistle and the statistics prove it: 71% ball possession against Liechtenstein’s 21% and 35 shot attempts against just two.
Speaking after the match, Martínez admitted that Portugal could have played better especially in the first half but stressed that he only had three days to work with his new team.
“I am incredibly satisfied by what we achieved in three days. These players have an amazing comprehension capacity. We had very good moments, but we still have a lot to improve,” he said.
