Fernando Santos has backed Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction to Iceland’s 1-1 draw with Portugal by claiming that their players booed and heckled the forward and Pepe throughout.
The Portugal coach was unrepentant after Ronaldo branded the tiny nation as having a small mentality following the opening Group F game on Tuesday because of his perception they used negative tactics.
Santos, whose team face Austria at the Parc des Princes on Saturday, said: “When people talk about fair play sometimes it makes me want to laugh.
“When we talk about other people’s reaction in Portugal we say if you don’t feel, you are not really a good person. But after what the players and the manager said and what they did, they booed Ronaldo, they booed Pepe, the players on the bench kept heckling. You should always have fair play and I have always played fair.
“Even in the post‑match press conference I made no comments about the statements and provocations. But I don’t think you should bring up fair play after other people have shown lack of fair play. In yellow cards we’re been exemplary.”
Santos aimed his own dig at Iceland by claiming that Austria, who lost their opener against Hungary, will undertake a positive approach. “After Iceland scored all 10 players went behind [the ball],” he said. “We tried to push but we pushed with 10 when we should have tried to move some so we could attack.
“Austria will not defend with 10 players and neither will we. This is a very different match. Austria will attack in a positive way. We know what they’re capable of and we’re prepared to face them. We produced good moments. Some things were good, others not so good. Not because the players didn’t try or didn’t want to win. In every game, a team has to be balanced. These teams are not gung-ho, they’re not insane. They have to take risks, but in a balanced way.”
Santos also attempted to be dismissive when asked how vital Ronaldo will be on Saturday. “Ronaldo is the best player in the world,” he said. “How relevant do you think he is? I respect the questions, but Ron is the best player in the world.”
When it was put to him that Ronaldo performs better for Real Madrid than for Portugal, where he operates from a wide berth rather than as a striker, Santos said: “He plays a different position – will you change his position? I watch every match of Real Madrid very attentively. When Benzema was away, who played in his position? Cristiano.
“Cristiano can play in any position. He is not a striker. He’ll never be a striker. For Real Madrid he will be over on the left but during the match he can be anywhere. He is a free player. That’s how it should be.
“His position is looser. The way we attack and defend, the way players are brought together, they have to respect my directions. He is free to be closer to the wing, right-wing, left-wing or down the middle.
“One of our best chances came from Ronaldo on the left. He is free to roam and this freedom applies to all those in these positions. He needs to break through our opponents lines.”
Santos would not be drawn on potential changes to the XI beyond admitting any will not be wholesale. “This is a different match and the opponent is a different opponent,” he said.
“You want to refresh the team because there is a recovery time of three days. There will not be a revolution. We had a revolution in 1974,” referring to the overthrow of the longstanding dictatorship.
Portugal need to win to stand the best chance of qualifying for the knockout phase. “We’ve always been under pressure,” Santos said. “We’ve been under pressure since we got here. Maybe the first match added a little bit of pressure, but this game has not changed.
“I trust the players fully. They’re all motivated and determined to reach our goals. We respect our opponents. We don’t say we’re the best, but we don’t fear any team.”
