Football — Dalot responds to criticism of Portugal and defends Ronaldo

*Portugal drew 1-1 against Democratic Republic of Congo in Group K opener

* Dalot said players had cut themselves off from criticism on social media before the World Cup

* Dalot defends Ronaldo, who is playing in his sixth World Cup

by Rohit Nair

Portugal defender Diogo Dalot responded strongly to criticism on Saturday, saying some people actively wanted to see Portugal fail in their World Cup campaign after a difficult start to their run in Group K. Diogo Dalot’s comments followed what he called a “difficult few days” after the disappointing draw (1-1) of Portugal against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This result triggered a torrent of criticism and insults on social media on the eve of their match against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. “The criticism will come, but what you have to remember is that millions of people want Portugal to win and there are others who don’t want Portugal to win,” Diogo Dalot told journalists. “I’ve been around football long enough to know that criticism is part of the process and you can’t escape it. But there is also constructive criticism.” “Our message is clear: we are a united group, we are strong and we are ready to do anything to win.”

Pressed to name his targets, the 27-year-old remained evasive. “I can’t name one or two people in particular, but there are people who don’t want Portugal to win,” he added. “My job is to go out on the field, play and show that the group is strong and united, whatever the result. The team wants to do better.”

DALOT TAKES RONALDO’S DEFENSE

Diogo Dalot also came to the defense of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has come under intense scrutiny after a disappointing start to his sixth World Cup. “Everyone knows that Cristiano is capable of handling criticism. From what people have said, criticism is part of his daily life,” Dalot said. “Pressure is an integral part of a competition at this level. Our opinion about him has not changed: he will always be ready to help and represent his country.”

Diogo Dalot also revealed that players were deliberately trying to protect themselves from negative reactions on social media. “Without giving away too much of what we talk about privately, we had a discussion before the World Cup about social media and criticism,” he explained. “When you have a team like this, especially with Cristiano in our ranks, you have to learn to deal with criticism that is out of the ordinary… That’s why the team has cut itself off from criticism on social media.” “The positive thing is that it happened early (in the tournament). The sooner the setbacks happen, the easier it is for us to put it behind us and move on.”

(Reporting Rohith Nair in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; French version Clément Martinot)