Portugal legend Luis Figo has slammed head coach Fernando Santos after his nation’s exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Portugal fell to a 1-0 defeat by the hands of Morocco within the quarter-final stage of the match.
Figo blames Fernando Santos for Portugal’s World Cup exit (AP)
By India Today Web Desk: Portugal legend Luis Figo has slammed head coach Fernando Santos after his nation’s exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Portugal fell to a 1-0 defeat by the hands of Morocco within the quarter-final stage of the match.
Whereas chatting with Sports18, Figo stated the defeat in opposition to Morocco is the duty of Santos, including that you just can’t hold Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench and win the World Cup.
“You possibly can’t win a Soccer World Cup with Ronaldo on the bench. Alright, you gained in opposition to Switzerland? Nice consequence! However are you able to do that each recreation? No. Leaving Ronaldo out was a mistake, this loss is on the staff administration and the supervisor,” stated Figo.
There have been a number of experiences of stress inside the Portugal camp after Ronaldo was dropped from the beginning XI for the spherical of 16 and quarter-final video games. Nonetheless, Santos got here out and known as Ronaldo an important participant and added that he has no regrets over his choice to bench him.
“No, I do not suppose so, no regrets. This was a staff that performed very nicely in opposition to Switzerland. Cristiano is a superb participant, he got here in once we thought it was crucial. No, I’ve no regrets,” Santos stated after Portugal’s exit from the World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo got here into the sport early within the second half however did not have any affect. Enjoying on the prime of the assault, Ronaldo had just a few possibilities from exterior the field, however hit the ball straight into the palms of the goalkeeper.
This match, the 196th of his worldwide profession, presumably marks the tip of 2022, given the truth that he’s presently with no membership after separating from Manchester United.
As Portugal sank into the bottom, the Atlas Lions let loose an enormous roar of victory after changing into the primary African nation within the historical past of the competitors to succeed in the semi-final phases. They are going to tackle France within the semi-final on December 15.
