Following his team’s dramatic last-gasp 2-2 draw with the USA in Manaus on Sunday, Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that he never thought “limited” Portugal could win the WorldCup. The Seleccao still has a remote chance of making it out of Group G, but it needs a combination of a German win vs. the Americans, a win against Ghana, and a goal differential swing of five vs.the USA to stand any chance of qualifying for the Round of 16.
“Maybe we’re an average team,” Ronaldo said after game. “It would be a lie to say that we are a ‘top’ team. We have manylimitations and suffer from injuries such as with Pepe [who was suspended] and [Fabio] Coentrao. This limits us a lot. We have a very limited team and we are not at the best level. Thisdoes not enable you to beat top teams.”
The Real Madrid forward added: “There are no miracles. We knew we would have a tough group, with perhaps teams better than us. I never thought wecould be world champions, we have to be humble and know our level. I’m not a hypocrite, I never thought we could win the tournament.”