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When Portugal and Ireland met in September, Cristiano Ronaldo scored two late headers to spoil Ireland's party. Sheffield United star John Egan broke the deadlock on the cusp of halftime, and the game remained that way for 89 minutes, nearly gifting Stephen Kenny's side with a historic win. However, Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to squash their dreams, scoring a brace within 7 minutes, deep into stoppage time.
While this might be demoralizing for another team, Anderlecht midfielder Josh Cullen insists the results will be different this time around. Portugal and Ireland are set to clash in two days. Cullen believes his teammates are capable of stopping Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese attack this time around:
"He's probably one of, if not the only, player in world football that could have scored those two goals. We know what a special player he is."
"Yes, we managed to do it for 89 minutes, but we would have much preferred to have done it for 95 or whatever it was in the end, and that's what we'll be looking to do on Thursday night."
"We can take a lot of encouragement from the performance we put in out there and we'll be looking to do a similar job on Thursday night, but turn a good performance into a good result as well."
Cristiano Ronaldo will no doubt be intent on adding his name to the scoresheet on Thursday when the two sides meet. So if Cullen and his teammates are able to get even a draw from the game, it would be a miracle.
Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed Ali Dael's 109 international goals and currently sits with a world record 115 goals. With the star set to start against Ireland, the Boys in Green will have to be at their best to keep him from influencing the game.
Focus on the whole Portugal team, not just Cristiano Ronaldo: Jason Knight urges fellow teammates
Warning his teammates to respect the entire Portugal squad, Jason Knight has shared his conversation with Derby coach Wayne Rooney:
“I have talked to the gaffer about his own career and [Ronaldo] has come up a couple of times in terms of how professional he is and how he lives his life,” said Knight. “You watch him on the TV and you can see that he’s one of the best players that has played."
“It is hard to stop him but Portugal have a lot of very good players and it’s not just against Ronaldo that you’re playing and you have to look and focus on other players and the whole team as a collective and that is what we’re going to try and do.”
