TIL Desk Sports/ Even the best laid plans to limit the influence of Cristiano Ronaldo might not be enough for Morocco when they come up against Portugal at the World Cup in Moscow, coach Herve Renard said on the eve of the Group B game. Morocco are looking for an upset win over the European champions at the Luzhniki Stadium to realistically keep alive their interest in the tournament but mindful that the genius of the Portugal captain could send them towards an early exit.
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in Portugal’s opening 3-3 draw with Spain, while Morocco lost 1-0 to Iran who top the group.“Even if you conjure up the best plans to halt Ronaldo, he will find a way to break free. He always makes the difference, at the minimum to put his side on the right track and at best to win the game for them,” the French-born coach said on Tuesday.
“He’s absolutely outstanding, exceptional and we might not be good enough to keep him out. But we have to do our utmost to make him less exceptional tomorrow,” Renard added at a pre-match news conference on Tuesday. The Morocco coach might consider taking a leaf out of Iceland’s play book after they had up to three players at times harrying Lionel Messi and restricting his ability to play. It was a ploy that played a large part in the surprise 1-1 Group D draw that Iceland forced against Argentina on Saturday.
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