Portugal came into this World Cup as one of the favorites. They walked off the pitch in their opener with a draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo and a lot of questions. Now they face Uzbekistan with their tournament already feeling urgent.
Roberto Martinez made two changes to the starting 11 for this one. The big one is up front. Joao Felix, the former Chelsea forward, gets the nod over Bernardo Silva. That means Cristiano Ronaldo has a different kind of support around him. Felix is more of a direct attacker, someone who will run in behind and try to create space for the aging superstar.
And Ronaldo is aging. At 41 years and change, he’s now the oldest outfield player in World Cup history. He didn’t look it against Congo, but he didn’t look like the guy who carried Portugal through Euro 2016 either. He got isolated. The service was inconsistent. And when Portugal needed a second goal, it never came.
The midfield is still the engine
The one area nobody is worried about is the middle of the park. Joao Neves scored the opener in the first match with a glancing header in the sixth minute. He lines up next to Vitinha, his PSG teammate. And ahead of them is Bruno Fernandes, who just won Premier League Player of the Season as Manchester United captain. That trio has been called one of the best in the tournament by multiple analysts. Against Uzbekistan, they’ll need to control the tempo from start to finish.
Ruben Dias is back in the lineup too. He wasn’t fit enough to start against Congo, but he’s healthy now and replaces Tomas Araujo alongside Renato Veiga at center back. That’s a significant upgrade in experience and leadership. Veiga has been solid but Dias is the guy who organizes everything in front of the goalkeeper.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains the story
Let’s be honest. Nobody is talking about the Portugal midfield or the defensive switch as much as they’re talking about Ronaldo. Every game at this point feels like a chapter in the final book. He can still score. He can still make runs that defenders have to respect. But the days of him winning games by himself are behind him. The question is whether Portugal has enough around him to make a deep run.
Uzbekistan is not a pushover. They’re organized, they’re physical, and they’ll sit deep if they sense Portugal getting frustrated. That’s exactly what happened against Congo. Portugal had the early goal, then let the game slip in first-half stoppage time when Yoane Wissa equalized. Martinez will have drilled his team on staying locked in through the whistle.
Portugal XI: Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Fernandes, Neves, Vitinha; Neto, Joao Felix, Ronaldo.
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