What I noticed is that after conceding a goal, the psychology of the Portuguese players began to fluctuate. The squad no longer maintained the same cohesion as before, the ball deployment also lacked coherence and the lines were sometimes separated.
Meanwhile, Croatia played more and more confidently. They continued to maintain pressure, using direct play to exploit the opponent's gaps. In my opinion, that is proof that they have read Portugal's operating style very well.
I think Croatia is very cunning in their approach to the match. They understand what the opponent needs and proactively slow down the match to a moderate pace. This gives Croatia an advantage because they are a very organized team. Conversely, Portugal performs better when the match takes place at high speed, where individuals have more space to create breakthroughs.
Therefore, in my opinion, Croatia was the better team in the second half. If Croatia had taken better advantage of the opportunities created, the result could have been completely different.
Another issue that I think Portugal needs to consider is how to use Cristiano Ronaldo in the match against Spain.
In my opinion, Ronaldo can still start but should only play for about 60 minutes. When he leaves the field and younger players are brought on, Portugal's attacking pace becomes more balanced. The combinations take place at a higher speed and the movement is also more flexible.
At the present time, Ronaldo no longer maintains the physical foundation as in his peak period. He often has to retreat to receive the ball and participate in deploying his playing style, while his handling speed no longer keeps up with his young teammates. This inadvertently slows down the team's attacking pace.
In my opinion, Ronaldo also does not fully develop his strengths when being positioned as a center forward. His forte position is still starting wide or moving from behind to penetrate the penalty area. When playing highest in attack, Ronaldo often falls into a state of "ball hunger", forcing him to fall deep to receive the ball. At that time, the penalty area lacks a regular player to take advantage of crosses or crosses.
If the opponent blocks the two wings well, Portugal will find it very difficult to approach the goal because they are both short of players in the penalty area and cannot create enough pressure in the central area.
Therefore, if the match with Spain is still balanced or Portugal needs to accelerate, replacing Ronaldo after the 60th minute will be a reasonable option. He still brings great spiritual value, but from a professional perspective, the team will need players with higher activity intensity in the final stage of the match.
Looking more broadly at the championship race, I still rate France as the brightest candidate at the 2026 World Cup. Whether Spain or Portugal advances, the winning team will also have to go through another very consumption-intensive match. If they meet France in the semi-finals, I still lean towards the possibility that the European representative will have an advantage.
In the remaining bracket, I still place my faith in Argentina. This is a team that always knows how to show bravery in major tournaments. Therefore, my prediction at this time is still a final match between France and Argentina, the reunion of the two strongest teams in the world in recent years.
