Saudi Professional League 2023/2024

[Odusko]

This is just one game, maybe we should not judge Portugal as a team, or Ronaldo as a player based on just a single game. Look at Spain, the team that was given first place odds by many places, mostly considered biggest candidate to win, ended up getting a draw against the weakest team of the cup, or maybe one of the weakest ones.

So not like we are going to see Spain fail for the rest of the cup, of course they will do better, and same could be said about Portugal, yes they failed one game, but could be better next games.

No doubt there is still plenty of time for Portugal to have their performance back on top against Uzbekistan and Colombia in this group. Uzbekistan is the weakest side, while others have a good chance of keeping themselves for the knockout round.

Portugal will entertain Uzbekistan in the coming game, and this will allow them to have their rhythm back, which will help them have a good result. Ronaldo has never been a good player in the World Cup, but still they are having him in the squad due to his experience and fitness, but they needed to use him for one half or less time because this will allow other players to give their best and increase their confidence. Staying on the pitch for 90 minutes is surely not good for both Portugal and Ronaldo.

Football games is full of uncertainty of outcome and you will be supprise that the team that you think is a weak team becoming the strongest in the match, Uzbekistan may seems like a small team that can be easily defeated by Portugal but don't know what the outcome will be and which conditions comes along the way while the match is live, any way, let us wait and see how both clubs will perform in the game coming week.

[dezoel]

Spain and Saudi Arabia is not even close and while Spain may have played relaxed if they won big time against Cape Verde, they did not and they failed to win, so they will be a lot more focused now, and they will have a lot more players how are hungry to win and get as first place, because this draw as terrible and humiliating so they will want to not only win but they will want to win with domination so that they can show how good they are.

I do not expect just a simple win, I am expecting a 2.5 over plus Spain win type of game.

[Dump3er]

Spain and Saudi Arabia is not even close and while Spain may have played relaxed if they won big time against Cape Verde, they did not and they failed to win, so they will be a lot more focused now, and they will have a lot more players how are hungry to win and get as first place, because this draw as terrible and humiliating so they will want to not only win but they will want to win with domination so that they can show how good they are.

I do not expect just a simple win, I am expecting a 2.5 over plus Spain win type of game.

That is how it should be, but you could see against Cape Verde that they were without ideas. What they won't do is leave Yamal out in the beginning, it would be a big mistake because they need someone who can take shots outside of the box. The box will be full with Saudi Arabian players the same it was against Cape Verde. If you don't get lucky and find the final pass, you want a player who can take shots from a distance and this is what Yamal is good for. He is good for everything, but his shots are a solution.

Remember though that Saudi Arabia was able to beat Argentina and I think it was at the last World Cup. It is all about lucky momentum and if Saudi Arabia can score a goal in whatever way, probably lucky, they can try to park the bus and see the clock running down for Spain. It is going to be risky if they can't score quickly. That would be sensational.

[Iamgoat]

Snip

Even as it may want to seem like they are not at their very best, i still believe that Portugal will be able to make it passed group stage at least and there is every tendency what you may as well find them in the semi finals but this depends on what the round of 16 may look like. Portugal i believe understands the magnitude of the competition and will likely improve as the competition progresses.

I am already scared for Portugal with the performance I saw from them this last game. It does not speak well of them as a team which is up to doing something great in this tournament. The World Cup is too important to begin this way and I hope they’ve learnt from the last match they played against the DR Congo played at the Houston stadium. I am not pleased with the way they handled their match and the Congolese guys became more confident when they realized Portugal was weaker than they thought in the beginning.

[Gallar]

One thing for sure is that Saudi Arabia will not want to sit back, they will want to play their own football and that might be the problem for them. We saw how cape varde sat back and defended the whole game, they frustrated Spain. On the other hand Spain are now in desperately need of a win, they need get their first win of the tournament.

I know Spain against Saudi Arabia will be a very interesting game, it a game we are going to see goals, I think lot of goals. As for me I will give the win to Spain, i see them getting their first win of the tournament against Saudi Arabia.

Yes, basically, if we look at the biggest possibility, it's true that Spain will definitely be favored to win this match. However, I don't think it's impossible for Spain to lose this match. Because in a World Cup like this, we clearly can't think monotonously and only think based on one assumption. Because basically, currently every team is fighting with all their might, so that's why Saudi Arabia shouldn't be underestimated.

Furthermore, if Saudi Arabia were able to win against Spain in this match, it would clearly be a huge threat to them. Because basically, if Spain fails to get three full points again in their second match, they will certainly fail to advance to the next round. So that's why I think this match is truly worth waiting for. Because in this Saudi Arabia vs. Spain match, it will be a life-and-death match. But even so, at this point, I'm not sure which team to bet on, as it feels quite confusing at the moment. So, I think you should all be careful when betting on this match.

[Sithara007]

I am already scared for Portugal with the performance I saw from them this last game. It does not speak well of them as a team which is up to doing something great in this tournament. The World Cup is too important to begin this way and I hope they’ve learnt from the last match they played against the DR Congo played at the Houston stadium. I am not pleased with the way they handled their match and the Congolese guys became more confident when they realized Portugal was weaker than they thought in the beginning.

Well.. let's not read too much into this. Portugal had a bad day, and that's it. I am sure that they will come back strongly in the next match. But they need to win the next match (against Uzbekistan), and need to get at least a draw during the match against Colombia. Uzbekistan was handed down a 1-3 defeat by Colombia, so I guess it will be a relatively easy match for Ronaldo & Co. A lot of travel is involved, BTW. Portugal will play their next match at Houston, but they need to travel all the way up to Florida for the match against Colombia. And Colombia need to travel from Mexico for their match against Portugal. All of that in a span of just 4 days.

[ITExpert]

Portugal have to do better because this is the World Cup and their opposition also will put in their very best. None of these teams come here to dash out points but are here to make sure they're having one of the very best performance and rating. Secondly, we should not underestimate any side simply because of the players, we watched what happened to Spain yesterday, they couldn't get a win against a side that's their first time in the World Cup, Cape Verde. That's to show you the level of efficiency and competitiveness in the World Cup.

World cup matches are very competitive matches because every team comes with a great preparation and almost with the same goals. Because winning the title or trophy is the last process but earlier everyone is in the struggle to get the best points and in the best reviews because this matters a lot for every team. So making good points and to be on a good number is the priority for the teams and I think taking any team for granted and not make struggles according to that  is something which can be disappointing. Portugal has wonderful and experienced players and they are also confident that they can be wonderful. This is true that they are talented but the nature of the game is not allow anyone to  feel and trust their superiority because any thing can happen to anyone which is my not be expected

[PremiumcryptoHub]

Portugal need to play a serious game as they have seen how other games have gone far, with the type of game they played against Nigeria in their last friendly before the kickstart of this world cup, I think they have to do better even though their opponents are not too strong on paper.

Portugal have to do better because this is the World Cup and their opposition also will put in their very best. None of these teams come here to dash out points but are here to make sure they're having one of the very best performance and rating. Secondly, we should not underestimate any side simply because of the players, we watched what happened to Spain yesterday, they couldn't get a win against a side that's their first time in the World Cup, Cape Verde. That's to show you the level of efficiency and competitiveness in the World Cup.

Actually we have noticed that there are some new teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup that are becoming obstacles against the stronger teams, indeed those teams have prepared well and it seems that their goal is to play artistic football against strong teams in this FIFA World Cup. For example, Spain drew against Cape Verde and we also noticed that the current UEFA Nations League champions Portugal drew against the DR Congo team. Besides it is hoped that Portugal will be able to bounce back in their upcoming match because i think Portugal will try their best to win their upcoming match against Uzbekistan because if they draw in this game, it might be very difficult for them to reach the knockout round.

[MarjorieZimmermanGinger]

I am already scared for Portugal with the performance I saw from them this last game. It does not speak well of them as a team which is up to doing something great in this tournament. The World Cup is too important to begin this way and I hope they’ve learnt from the last match they played against the DR Congo played at the Houston stadium. I am not pleased with the way they handled their match and the Congolese guys became more confident when they realized Portugal was weaker than they thought in the beginning.

These concerns are overblown in my opinion and I remember the previous World Cup, when Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia, but ultimately emerged victorious. Just look at Portugal's performance in the first match, where the players weren't at their best, especially in passing the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo. They should have won against Congo, as they weren't a strong opponent and they were able to match Portugal's play.

Lionel Messi actually gets different treatment in the team and he is always pampered with measured passes and they consistently provide precise passes to him so he can score. Most of the Portuguese players were selfish, so the game didn't run as a collective because they couldn't work together well. That was the problem I saw from the team that caused them to fail to win in the first match.

[Gallar]

These concerns are overblown in my opinion and I remember the previous World Cup, when Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia, but ultimately emerged victorious. Just look at Portugal's performance in the first match, where the players weren't at their best, especially in passing the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo. They should have won against Congo, as they weren't a strong opponent and they were able to match Portugal's play.

Lionel Messi actually gets different treatment in the team and he is always pampered with measured passes and they consistently provide precise passes to him so he can score. Most of the Portuguese players were selfish, so the game didn't run as a collective because they couldn't work together well. That was the problem I saw from the team that caused them to fail to win in the first match.

You are absolutely right my friend, the Portuguese players still don't seem to be able to work together well and they seem as if they want to be better than Ronaldo. So that's why when on the field the Portuguese players don't really focus on how to get Ronaldo to be given really good passes, but they actually do the opposite, and they all seem to want to score goals. So that's why Portugal's first match against Congo didn't go too well. But even so, hopefully in the second match the Portuguese players can be more understanding and not selfish anymore, because if they still act selfishly like that, Portugal will definitely have a hard time winning in the upcoming matches.

Because it is certain that Portugal has a big chance of getting through this group stage,, but after the group stage everything becomes even more difficult, so if the Portuguese players are still like this,, I don't think Portugal will be able to go far in this World Cup. So,, I really don't understand these Portuguese players, because I get the impression they're still jealous of Ronaldo's popularity. That's why they're less than supportive of him on the pitch.

[Iamgoat]

I am already scared for Portugal with the performance I saw from them this last game. It does not speak well of them as a team which is up to doing something great in this tournament. The World Cup is too important to begin this way and I hope they’ve learnt from the last match they played against the DR Congo played at the Houston stadium. I am not pleased with the way they handled their match and the Congolese guys became more confident when they realized Portugal was weaker than they thought in the beginning.

Well.. let's not read too much into this. Portugal had a bad day, and that's it. I am sure that they will come back strongly in the next match. But they need to win the next match (against Uzbekistan), and need to get at least a draw during the match against Colombia. Uzbekistan was handed down a 1-3 defeat by Colombia, so I guess it will be a relatively easy match for Ronaldo & Co. A lot of travel is involved, BTW. Portugal will play their next match at Houston, but they need to travel all the way up to Florida for the match against Colombia. And Colombia need to travel from Mexico for their match against Portugal. All of that in a span of just 4 days.

I am aware of the traveling and I am sure the teams are aware too. Nobody comes to the world cup and not get prepared even more. In fact, this World Cup is the longest world cup in history. The tournament runs from the June 11 to the July 19 of this year making the tournament the longest and haven't expanded from 32 to 48 participating nations. So teams and players have been preparing for this since couple of years in their minds so everyone coming on board now already knows the kind of price they will need to pay before they can get the prize they are looking for. So, I will encourage the Portuguese to work harder if they want to participate to the finish line. They seem like my favorite this tournament but football and emotions operate in different paths.

[kennycryptoitalia]

It is whether that or the national football federation should bring a top coach to build a well mentally connected team and physically fit in order to play solidly and stay as challenging as having many top players.
Cristiano Ronaldo absence in Manchester United or Real Madrid didn't make totally failure teams. They might dropped bad in quality but it was mostly due to many mistakes done by the management or limitations imposed by owners.
Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr might be a success story and the same goes for Portugal but his absence should in no way lower the performance of any team.

Of course when a player leaves, it is necessary for them to replace him otherwise the team will no longer be good, and this can be done by buying a player of the same or higher level than the one who left, there are certainly many opportunities around, this is necessary to have replacements and find other champions.

[Pjcr7]

You are absolutely right my friend, the Portuguese players still don't seem to be able to work together well and they seem as if they want to be better than Ronaldo.

This part got my attention the most, without been biased, between Ronaldo and Messi for their respective teams, Messi is treated with more respect in his team than Ronaldo is has been with his own Portugal team. In Argentina, if you look at their setup and system of play, they all play for Messi, the team wants to win for Messi, this alone will mean he will have less burden on his shoulder as a result, he will play his normal game and perform to his maximum capacity. Ronaldo in Portugal isn't the same, Bruno acts as if his in constant competition with Ronaldo, they are all bunch of individual players who want to only play for themselves. Cancelo doesn't like Ronaldo and his acted and said it. They forget the team got all the attention and popularity because of Ronaldo. Argentina has less star players compared to Portugal right now but they play as a unit and let's assume these two meets, the way Argentina will rubbish Portugal with all their star players, it will be so shameful to behold.

[Pandorak]

I am already scared for Portugal with the performance I saw from them this last game. It does not speak well of them as a team which is up to doing something great in this tournament. The World Cup is too important to begin this way and I hope they’ve learnt from the last match they played against the DR Congo played at the Houston stadium. I am not pleased with the way they handled their match and the Congolese guys became more confident when they realized Portugal was weaker than they thought in the beginning.

It must be admitted that Portugal performance and style of play in this match were very disappointing, they didn’t look like a solid team, something was off about them. Even Cristiano Ronaldo barely touched the ball, and they didn’t mount any meaningful attacks, they spent most of their time in midfield, just passing the ball around aimlessly. At first, i wasn’t worried because Portugal managed to take a 1-0 lead and control possession, but when Congo managed to equalize, i immediately had a bad feeling, and the match ended in a draw.

[Mame89]

I am already scared for Portugal with the performance I saw from them this last game. It does not speak well of them as a team which is up to doing something great in this tournament. The World Cup is too important to begin this way and I hope they’ve learnt from the last match they played against the DR Congo played at the Houston stadium. I am not pleased with the way they handled their match and the Congolese guys became more confident when they realized Portugal was weaker than they thought in the beginning.

These concerns are overblown in my opinion and I remember the previous World Cup, when Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia, but ultimately emerged victorious. Just look at Portugal's performance in the first match, where the players weren't at their best, especially in passing the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo. They should have won against Congo, as they weren't a strong opponent and they were able to match Portugal's play.

Lionel Messi actually gets different treatment in the team and he is always pampered with measured passes and they consistently provide precise passes to him so he can score. Most of the Portuguese players were selfish, so the game didn't run as a collective because they couldn't work together well. That was the problem I saw from the team that caused them to fail to win in the first match.

What you said is correct. Portugal draw must be viewed positively to avoid lingering in sadness or disappointment. For the Portuguese coach the draw against Congo should serve as a valuable evaluation to continue improving, encouraging the players to play collectively and lower their egos.

Judging from Portugal performance in the first match against Congo, Ronaldo wasn't entirely at fault, as he didn't receive any ball supply. No matter how much the team dominates the ball, if they don't provide precise passes to the attackers, there will be no goals. Despite his age Ronaldo remains deadly in the opponent's penalty box, so the Portuguese players especially the midfield, should find ways to pass the ball to him. Ronaldo goal-scoring prowess is undeniable, especially this season when he led Al Nassr to the SPL title and became Al Nassr top scorer. This proves that if Ronaldo receives a plentiful supply of the ball his potential for scoring is significant.

In Portugal next match against Uzbekistan, I hope Martinez can play Joe Felix and Ronaldo together as they both play for the same team Al Nassr, so their chemistry is already well-developed.

[DiMarxist]

I also believe that, Portugal draw should be seen as a positive lesson which should spur the players to improve on their performance so that , going forward they can improve and give a good account of themselves in subsequent games. I believe that the Portuguese players were too confident of themselves and to a large extent underrated the Congolese in that draw. Anyone blaming Ronaldo in that game probably didn't watch that game because if you watch that game, you will find out that the Portuguese league played more of an individual game especially moving to the opposition defense there were no clear cut passes that were given to Ronaldo to score. If the ball don't gets to Ronaldo how do you expect him to score.

[wakier]

Snip

Even as it may want to seem like they are not at their very best, i still believe that Portugal will be able to make it passed group stage at least and there is every tendency what you may as well find them in the semi finals but this depends on what the round of 16 may look like. Portugal i believe understands the magnitude of the competition and will likely improve as the competition progresses.

I am already scared for Portugal with the performance I saw from them this last game. It does not speak well of them as a team which is up to doing something great in this tournament. The World Cup is too important to begin this way and I hope they’ve learnt from the last match they played against the DR Congo played at the Houston stadium. I am not pleased with the way they handled their match and the Congolese guys became more confident when they realized Portugal was weaker than they thought in the beginning.

Yes, Portugal performance against RD Congo was very disappointing. Portugal should have won the match if we look at their chances of dominating the match, while Ronaldo himself did not score in this match. If Portugal performance is like that, how can they win the World Cup? To calm them down at least Portugal can qualify for the next round and become group champions first, after that they can be ready to face the next opponents, which will certainly be more difficult.

[$weetne$$]

Of course when a player leaves, it is necessary for them to replace him otherwise the team will no longer be good, and this can be done by buying a player of the same or higher level than the one who left, there are certainly many opportunities around, this is necessary to have replacements and find other champions.

Replacement of players is what keeps the team going,  if players are not been replaced as they should,  with time a team may just be out of the league,  because  the replacement of players gives room for continuity even after some may have retired or had other reasons to leave the team. It may not necessarily be getting a player of higher value or calibre,  but getting a player who can fit in the replacement very well and with time they could just grow into becoming the best kind of player you have wanted.

[Fiatless]

What you said is correct. Portugal draw must be viewed positively to avoid lingering in sadness or disappointment. For the Portuguese coach the draw against Congo should serve as a valuable evaluation to continue improving, encouraging the players to play collectively and lower their egos.

Judging from Portugal performance in the first match against Congo, Ronaldo wasn't entirely at fault, as he didn't receive any ball supply. No matter how much the team dominates the ball, if they don't provide precise passes to the attackers, there will be no goals. Despite his age Ronaldo remains deadly in the opponent's penalty box, so the Portuguese players especially the midfield, should find ways to pass the ball to him. Ronaldo goal-scoring prowess is undeniable, especially this season when he led Al Nassr to the SPL title and became Al Nassr top scorer. This proves that if Ronaldo receives a plentiful supply of the ball his potential for scoring is significant.

In Portugal next match against Uzbekistan, I hope Martinez can play Joe Felix and Ronaldo together as they both play for the same team Al Nassr, so their chemistry is already well-developed.

It's unfair for people to keep heaping blame on Ronaldo for the outcome of their first game. The Al Nassr star is a player, and there are ten others. The pressure on Ronaldo increased because of the hat trick scored by Messi. Some football pundits went as far as saying Ronaldo will destroy his reputation with his poor performance in the World Cup.

There are still two more games to play. And I hope Ronaldo will be able to make tangible contributions in the game against Uzbekistan. I just feel sorry for him because he is facing so much pressure because of criticisms and high expectations from fans.

[Crytohillss]

I also believe that, Portugal draw should be seen as a positive lesson which should spur the players to improve on their performance so that , going forward they can improve and give a good account of themselves in subsequent games. I believe that the Portuguese players were too confident of themselves and to a large extent underrated the Congolese in that draw. Anyone blaming Ronaldo in that game probably didn't watch that game because if you watch that game, you will find out that the Portuguese league played more of an individual game especially moving to the opposition defense there were no clear cut passes that were given to Ronaldo to score. If the ball don't gets to Ronaldo how do you expect him to score.

That's very unfair to put all the blame on Ronaldo, a striker can only do so much when the services isn't there from what I saw Portugal lacked cohesion in the final third and too many players were trying to produce chances on their own instead of linking up the quick passes. credit should also go to DR Congo for staying organised and making it difficult for Portugal to play their usual game sometimes a draw like this is a reminder that no country should be underestmited.