Jorge Jesus, the technical director of the Portuguese national team, revealed the reasons that led him to substitute captain Cristiano Ronaldo during the match against Wales, which ended with Portugal winning by one goal to nil, as part of the first round of the UEFA Nations League competitions.
Ronaldo started the match, but he was unable to find the back of the net, after missing a close chance in the 49th minute following a cross from João Neves, before scoring a goal in the 59th minute, which the referee disallowed for offside.
Jesus decided to make the substitution in the 68th minute, taking out Ronaldo and bringing on Gonçalo Ramos, explaining that the decision was primarily tactical, given the Portuguese team's need to increase pressure on the Welsh defense during the remaining minutes.
Jesus said: "This is what the game demanded. There were 25 minutes left, and I was thinking of bringing in a fast player in the first defensive line, capable of pressing the center-backs. Cristiano could no longer do that, and I knew that offensively he could not offer much more."
He added: "So I thought about bringing on Gonçalo Ramos specifically so that he would press the first defensive line and prevent Wales from easily bringing the ball out. Gonçalo did a good job, but he didn't get many balls."
Despite leaving the field without scoring, Ronaldo received praise from his teammates, as João Neves confirmed that the Portuguese captain had a good match, pointing out that his goals would come in the upcoming matches.
Neves said: "You know that when Cristiano doesn't score, it's not the same as when he scores, but he was excellent, and the goals will come."