The Real Madrid forward had come under scrutiny after a disappointing start to the tournament but he has been backed to lead Portugal to the final by his worldwide team-mate Nani.
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Ronaldo scored two goals and provided the assist for Nani’s strike against Hungary, helping Portugal qualify for the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams. I think he will. Ronaldo is waiting for the flawless opportunity and after a good performance against Hungary, it might just be his show come Saturday.
“We could have done with easier opposition than Portugal in the last 16 but if we play like we did in the group stage, we have a great chance of progressing”, Kalinic told a news conference at Croatia’s Deauville base.
The Croatians, who came from behind to beat Spain with a makeshift team, left their coach Ante Cacic spoilt for choice after reserve striker Nikola Kalinic and several other fringe players shone. “We respect them but we know our strengths”.
It will also be interesting to see the clash of the two Real Madrid stars, Ronaldo and Modrić now on opposite sides.
Republic of Ireland scored their own memorable 1-0 win over Italy and Belgium beat Sweden by the same score to both move into the last 16, ending the worldwide career of Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic in defeat.
Santos said: “Croatia are one of the sharks we had been trying to avoid”.
A goal in the 87 minute against Spain gave Croatia a 2-1 lead in the team’s final game of the group stage and earned Croatia the top spot of Group D with a 2-0-1 record.
“Portugal are too dependent on Ronaldo. They have one day more than us to rest but we are professional, so we will get a quick rest and prepare for the game”.
For Croatia a bright start to a tournament in France has rekindled memories of their fairytale run to the World Cup semi-finals in 1998 before losing out to the hosts 2-1.
Group F saw Hungary take on Portugal in what was a thrilling and sensational game with six goals in total.
However, Croatia can not get carried away despite finding themselves in the weaker half of the draw and avoiding Germany, France, Italy, Spain or England until the final.
The picture finally has become clear at the European Championships, as group play concluded Wednesday in the tourney being played in France as the field was whittled to the 16 teams to play in the knockout stages. “If we lose the next match this doesn t mean anything”, Perisic said.
He had failed to score in 22 attempts on goal across Portugal’s first two matches, which ended in draws against Iceland and Austria.
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The focus has, as usual, been on Ronaldo, who responded to critics with a brace against Hungary in his side’s final group game.
