Germany coach Joachim Low rates Cristiano Ronaldo as a ‘special player’ and highlighted two of the star’s skills that could cause his side problems.
Joachim Low has highlighted Cristiano Ronaldo’s pace and aerial ability as two areas Germany must handle to keep the five-time Ballon d’Or winner ‘under control’.
The three-time European champions meet the current title holders in Munich on Saturday evening for their second match in Group F knowing a defeat could knock them out of Euro 2020.
To collect all three points, stopping Ronaldo is imperative. But as in many cases, that’s often easier said than done. The 36-year-old remains at the top of his game and surpassed Michel Platini as the record scorer in European Championship history on Tuesday by scoring a brace in Portugal’s 3-0 win over Hungary.
“Ronaldo is a special player, one that’s capable of doing more than just pushing Coke bottles to the side,” said Low in a pre-match conference on Friday evening.
“He’s quick and strong in the air. We need to see how we can keep him under control.”
The Germany manager also reflected on how Portugal have improved since their Euro 2016 triumph.
“They are strong in the air in defense and especially in attack,” said Low.
“Portugal aren’t a one-man Ronaldo show. They have four or five world-class attackers. They might even have more depth than France. As a team, the way they link up allows them to play to a high level. Several of their players are very difficult to knock off the ball.”
For full match details and analysis of Portugal and Germany’s match, check out the link here.