Bruno Fernandes has leapt to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo after the Manchester United superstar produced another lacklustre display as Portugal slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Spain on Tuesday night.
The United duo were on the losing side in Braga as Alvaro Morata bagged a dramatic 88th minute winner to send Spain through to the Nations League finals at Portugal's expense.
And it was another difficult night for Ronaldo, who has been unable to shake off his domestic woes during the international break. The striker, who has lost his first-team spot at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag, fired another blank against Spain and squandered a couple of golden opportunities during the match.
The Portuguese press had already urged Fernando Santos to drop the 37-year-old for the crunch clash after Ronaldo had also failed to impress during the emphatic 4-0 win over Czech Republic at the weekend.
But Fernandes has insisted that Ronaldo should not bear the brunt of the blame for Portugal's Nations League failure and backed his Old Trafford teammate to bounce back from his recent struggles.
Speaking after Tuesday night's match, Fernandes told Diario Record : “It wasn’t just Cristiano who failed. We all tried and we couldn’t. The Spain goalkeeper did very well. Cristiano is fine, with the ambition to help the national team, as he always has been and there is no need to make great stories.
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“Cristiano was frustrated, just like the rest of us. He wants to score goals and the goals are going to come along. These are phases.
“When you score you will have more peace of mind to continue scoring many goals for us. Don’t forget you’re the goal-scoring record holder for the team.”
Ronaldo has been restricted to just one Premier League start this term but has featured prominently for Manchester United in the Europa League. However, the veteran has failed to impress in his two European starts and has netted just one goal.
Although Ronaldo's World Cup spot is all but assured, his hopes of a starring role at the showpiece tournament could be in major jeopardy if he is unable to rediscover his form.
But Portugal boss Santos also stood up for his talisman after the match, with the 67-year-old brushing away questions over Ronaldo's role in the team.
Santos said: "What interests me is how the team played. Ronaldo had three or four chances. Two very good ones, which he usually scores. He didn't score. It's football."
