Why Criano Ronaldo was substituted against Croatia: Roberto Martinez explains

3 min readUpdated: Jul 3, 2026 01:46 PM Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said Criano Ronaldo’s substitution against Croatia was a tactical decision rather than one based on fitness, explaining that his side needed an extra midfielder to see out their World Cup Round of 32 contest.
Ronaldo, 41, had earlier scored from the penalty spot in the 67th minute to reger the first knockout-stage goal of his World Cup career. But with Portugal looking to regain control of midfield after Croatia pushed for an equaliser, Martinez withdrew the veteran striker in the 81st minute, introducing Ruben Neves.
“We needed an extra midfielder, so we took off Criano,” Martinez said after the match, dismissing suggestions that the change had anything to do with managing Ronaldo’s workload.
“Goncalo Ramos is a player who always adds something when he comes on, like Bernardo Silva and Conceicao. It is important to start well and finish even better. We took a big risk playing with two strikers, but then we needed an extra midfielder, so we took off Criano.”
Martinez said the tactical shift reflected how the game evolved rather than any pre-planned substitution.
AS IT HAPPENED: Portugal vs Croatia FIFA World Cup 2026 Highlights
“We have very specific attacking patterns. Today was a good day to use our inside play, but we couldn’t, so we decided to use width and depth more with Rafael Leão and to reach the box. It was about drawing the midfielder through the movement of Bernardo Silva.”Story continues below this ad
“We had to make substitutions in the first half. Today we made four substitutions at once. The first half was very good. It was just about following the flow of the match.”
Ronaldo’s penalty had brought Portugal back into a tightly contested encounter in which Croatia defended deep and limited clear-cut opportunities for long periods. The goal also ended a personal wait for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who had never previously scored in a World Cup knockout match despite featuring in six editions of the tournament.
However, Croatia continued to threaten after falling behind, prompting Martinez to reinforce midfield and sacrifice his captain. The decision gave Portugal greater control in the closing stages, while the introduction of fresh attacking legs ultimately proved decisive as Ramos capitalised on space in stoppage time to send the 2016 European champions through.
Portugal will now face Spain in a heavyweight Round of 16 clash next week.