Ronaldo's Euro focus a sign of Portugal's intent

Group A
Portugal 2

* Pepe 61,
* Meireles 90

Turkey 0

* David Hytner at Stade de Genève
* The Guardian,
* Monday June 9, 2008

When the full-time whistle sounded, Cristiano Ronaldo plonked himself down on his backside, clenched his fists and exhaled deeply. The celebration was not nearly as impassioned as that which overtook him last month, at the end of the Champions League final against Chelsea. Then, the Manchester United winger crumpled face down into the turf to sob with joy and relief, his missed penalty in the shoot-out victory not having returned to haunt him.

This time, with a disappointing Turkey swatted to one side and Portugal up and running at the European Championship, the reaction appeared purely about relief. Ronaldo's announcement last Thursday that he wants to complete a transfer to Real Madrid, which would most probably involve a world-record fee and wage, ensured that the spotlight would burn even more on him.

Had Portugal stumbled, as they did in their opening fixture at Euro 2004 when they lost to Greece, the search for a scapegoat, the distraction to team focus, would not have taken long. Ronaldo's prospective move to the Bernabéu had dominated the build-up and all eyes around the stadium in Geneva scrutinised him for signs of the pressure telling.

For the opening 30 minutes he was jittery, his touch unusually erratic. Switched from the right to the left, though, he began to find his rhythm. One slicing run left a posse of defenders in his wake while a trademark free-kick from a wide angle was tipped on to the far post by the Turkey goalkeeper, Volkan Demirel.

Ronaldo grew further in the second-half, crossing for Nuno Gomes to head against the crossbar and having a hand in both of his team's goals; early in the build-up for Pepe's opener, decisively towards the end of the move for the substitute Raul Meireles' second. As the dust settled, he could reflect upon his clearing of a significant hurdle. Little wonder that he faced his post-match inquisitors with assurance.

"The speculation doesn't affect me," he said. "I feel good, I feel calm and this is the most important thing. I'm in a mindset now where I cannot allow myself to worry about these things and for that reason, I am calm.

"If you feel good, you don't have a lot of pressure in your head and the football comes good. After the Euro, I will talk about my future. I don't know already what the future holds after the Euro."

Ronaldo said that he was in contact with his friends at United but was not talking to them or his Portugal colleagues about what promises to be the summer's major transfer saga. It is helping his country to their first major championship success that preoccupies him.

"I need to think about the Euro," he said. "I don't need to think 'What about my future?' I know my future is good. My focus is only to play good in the Euros."

Luiz Felipe Scolari had considered naming Ronaldo as his captain only to go with Gomes, but when the striker was withdrawn the team's talisman took over.

"I asked Nuno to give Cristiano the armband so he could feel a bit more motivated and that's exactly what happened," said Scolari. "I wanted him to have extra oomph, an extra dribble, an extra pass and that gave us the extra goal in the last minute. That was my aim and it happened. I always have a particular intention when I give someone the armband."

The support for Ronaldo within the Portuguese camp appears total. There is a jealousy-free acceptance that he is the best player in the world, the man who has their prospects of glory here at his feet, and they, too, are keen to keep the Real sideshow in the background. "All the pressure is there but it is not getting to him, no way," said Paulo Ferreira, the Chelsea full-back. "Cristiano showed he wants to help Portugal achieve what we can achieve."

It would be foolhardy, however, to consider Portugal a one-man team. Their supporting cast is sprinkled with A-list stardust. While Ricardo Carvalho went about his business in typically impeccable fashion, his central defensive partner Pepe surged forward to take his goal in style, following a slick interchange with Gomes. Joao Moutinho caught the eye in midfield and then there was Deco, the personification of impudence and precision probing. Even Gomes, who might have an inferiority complex given the wealth of talent behind him, linked the play and hit the post as well as the bar.

Portugal stretched and sapped Turkey with the fluency of their passing and movement, and when Pepe broke their resistance, they had nothing left to give. Fatih Terim's team know that they must beat Switzerland in Basle on Wednesday night, another team who slunk back to their training base on Saturday night with their morale badly bruised. Neither of them are now expected to make the second half of the tournament. Portugal and Ronaldo, though, have served notice of their intent.

Man of the match Deco (Portugal)
Uncapped Nuno gets the call

Porto's reserve goalkeeper Nuno Espirito Santo has been called into the squad to replace the injured Quim. The 34-year-old, who plays as back-up to Helton with the Portuguese champions, has never been capped but has represented his country at Under-21 level. Nuno will act as stand-in to the No1 Ricardo after Quim fractured his right wrist during training on Friday.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer