Roberto Martinez insists Portugal were “completely the same” with and without Cristiano Ronaldo as they battled past Denmark in the Nations League.

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• All-time great handed starting berth & armband
• Missed a penalty before scoring 136th goal
• Replaced before game extended beyond 90 minutes

• Table of Contents

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo was handed the captain’s armband and a starting berth for a must-win contest in Lisbon. The evergreen 40-year-old surprisingly fluffed his lines from the penalty spot as he rolled a tame effort into the arms of Kasper Schmeichel.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ronaldo has, however, never been one to dwell on disappointment and registered his 136th international goal as Portugal eventually forced extra-time against the Danes. CR7 was replaced by Goncalo Ramos as an epic contest ticked beyond the 90-minute mark.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  That meant he was not on the field as goals from Trincao and Ramos wrapped up a 5-2 win on the night and a place in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals. Martinez was pleased to see his side prove that they can compete when their talismanic skipper is watching on from the bench.

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  WHAT ROBERTO MARTINEZ SAID

  Martinez told reporters when asked about his decision to withdraw Ronaldo with the final outcome in a nervy encounter yet to be determined: “I saw the team as completely the same. Cristiano played a good game, Goncalo played a good game. They are players with different characteristics and I didn't see much difference.”

Tags: Futebol
Category: News