Soccer

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo criticises Iceland’s ‘small mentality’

‘They were just defend, defend, defend and playing on the counter. A lucky night for them’

Iceland goalscorer Birkir Bjarnason celebrates with team-mates Aron Gunnarsson and Gylfi Sigurdsson beside Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo at the final whistle of the group F match at Stade Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Etienne, France. Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
Iceland goalscorer Birkir Bjarnason celebrates with team-mates Aron Gunnarsson and Gylfi Sigurdsson beside Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo at the final whistle of the group F match at Stade Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Etienne, France. Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
Wed Jun 15 2016 - 01:26

Cristiano Ronaldo criticised Iceland after the claimed a 1-1 draw against Portugal in their Euro 2016 opener, their first game at a major tournament.

Portugal wasted a series of chances and were held in the Group F clash in Saint Etienne after Birkir Bjarnason cancelled out Nani’s opener.

Ronaldo told several national newspapers: “It was a little bit frustrating, we tried hard to win the game, Iceland didn’t try anything.

“They scored a goal, they created two chances in the 90 minutes and otherwise they got every player behind the ball, they put the bus in the net.

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“So it’s difficult when one team don’t try, but Portugal try and play football and try to win the game.

“Iceland didn’t try anything, they were just defend, defend, defend and playing on the counter-attack. It was a lucky night for them.”

Iceland is the smallest to feature at a European Championship, with a population of just 330,000.

Ronaldo, who spurned a number of chances himself, said: “I thought they’d won the Euros the way they celebrated at the end, it was unbelievable.

“When they don’t try to play and just defend, defend, defend, this in my opinion shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition.”