Portugal coach Fernando Santos has defended fellow Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo after a draw against Iran in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Ronaldo missed a penalty and was close to getting a red card after a violent intervention on Iran's defender. After the game, he left the stadium quickly and did not celebrate his team-mate.
"I understand what Ronaldo did after the game," Santos said in comments carried by the Mirror newspaper.
"The big players are disappointed, and that affects them, because they always make the difference in matches."
"The big players want to be the best, so they are very upset if they miss real opportunities, they are not ordinary players."
He concluded: "The most important is to reach the role of the 16 of the World Cup, and we will prepare physically and mentally for what is coming."
The Portuguese team tied with his Iranian counterpart, with a goal for the same, to qualify the first to the role of the 16th group second, and meet with Uruguay.