Hallgrimsson warns Ireland players of Ronaldo threat ahead of crucial World Cup qualifier
The football icon is seeking to land the elusive World Cup trophy next year...
Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson believes Cristiano Ronaldo’s relentless hunger for goals continues to drive Portugal ahead of Thursday’s World Cup qualifier at the Aviva Stadium.
The 40-year-old forward arrives in Dublin with a remarkable record of 225 international caps and 143 goals, including a brace in last month’s 2-2 draw with Hungary in Lisbon.
Just days earlier, Ireland suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to the same opponents, leaving their qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
Ronaldo saw his penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher in that fixture, but Hallgrimsson knows the Al Nassr striker remains a constant threat in front of goal.
Asked about Ronaldo’s impact, the Ireland boss said: “The statistics speak and answer that question. He is still scoring goals and breaking records.
“One of the reasons why they are such a unique attacking team is his desire to score goals. They will deliver crosses, they will try to find him all of the time.
“Most teams when they are winning, they would cool the game down, but Portugal want to score more goals and he is one of the reasons why this Portuguese team is a unique attacking team.”
Ireland go into the game knowing they must take something from it to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Late heartbreak against Portugal in Lisbon and a laboured win over Armenia have left them third in Group F, one point behind Hungary.
Should Hungary beat Armenia earlier in the day, Ireland would be four points adrift, needing at least four from their final two matches, including a trip to Budapest on Sunday.
Despite the pressure, Hallgrimsson insists Ireland won’t abandon their principles. “Our approach is not going to change, so we need to play a certain style versus Portugal whether we need a win or a draw,” he said.
“We can’t go all-in against a team like Portugal, it’s not going to be a basketball match. Then we will take calculated risks if we need to score a goal later on in the game.”