Portugal vs Morocco: Santos needs his supporting acts to better supplement the main man

There was only ever going to be one star man in Portugal’s 3-3 draw with Spain last Friday, in what has arguably been the game of the tournament so far. Cristiano Ronaldo’s man of the match showing was the best rated at Russia 2018, with the Portuguese star earning a WhoScored.com rating of 9.83. 

While it was a memorable showing from the Real Madrid sensation, Ronaldo’s outing merely masked a wider problem within the Portugal squad. Had it not been for his scintillating display from Ronaldo, then Portugal would have likely succumbed to defeat. 

Fernando Santos will need his other players at his disposal to up their game for the crunch meeting with Morocco on Tuesday in order to increase Portugal’s chances of securing a last-16 spot. They’ve won only two of their last 12 matches at major tournaments inside 90 minutes, beating Ghana 2-1 at the 2014 World Cup and Wales 2-0 on their way to Euro 2016 success. 

However, in the 3-3 draw, no player other than Ronaldo earned a WhoScored.com rating above a 7.00. Young Goncalo Guedes helped himself to a spot in the starting XI against Spain and while he is expected to keep his place in the side, Santos has every right to demand more from the on-loan Valencia man. 

Guedes scored five and assisted nine in La Liga last season, yet struggled against Spain on Friday night. The 21-year-old earned a WhoScored.com rating of 6.81 in the 3-3 draw with La Roja, which was a sub-par showing from the young forward having gained a WhoScored.com rating of 7.16 in Spain’s top tier last term, that increasing to 7.39 when factoring in just starts. 

When Portugal play Morocco, then, Santos will hope the supporting acts can supplement the main event more effectively. There is ample quality within the squad and taking the pressure off of Ronaldo will only improve Portugal’s chances of securing what may prove to be a vital win over Morocco.