Portugal’s head coach Roberto Martinez said his team is more united than ever amid the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Martinez’s team played a 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their opening game of the tournament and they received a lot of flak for their underwhelming performance.

Furthermore, the team’s superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was criticised heavily on the social media platforms for his mundane performance.

Moreover, Portugal’s midfielder, Joao Neves, who scored against DR Congo, was trolled over post-match comments saying Ronaldo was “just another player, here to help,” which, when taken out of context, was interpreted as disrespectful for the legendary player.

“We’re more united, we’re stronger,” Martínez said in a pre-match news conference in Houston on Monday. “We’re playing a World Cup, of course there’s a lot of noise, a lot of tension, it’s part of the game. Our focus is on the team.

“We’re more united than before we arrived. There’s no tension.”

Martinez has also put his weight behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who hasn’t scored for Portugal since October 2025.

“He’s an example, as a captain,” Martínez said. “And he’s reacted as a captain, with a lot of experience.

“He wants to contribute, and he’s a role model for our team.”

The Spaniard manager said Ronaldo is a perfect example of how to train and recover.

“He’s probably the biggest example of how to recover, how to train,” Martínez said. “But that doesn’t take away the feeling of frustration we all have, as a team.”

On the other hand, defender João Cancelo has admitted that Portugal lacked quality in aspects of their play against Congo DR.

“We didn’t create chances, and that isn’t normal in a team like ours,” he said on Monday. “We have high-quality players, among the best in the world, and we have to show that on the pitch.

“Tomorrow, only winning counts. We don’t have any margin for error.”

Portugal will face Uzbekistan on Tuesday.