DONETSK, Ukraine (AFP)
Spain are going to pay special attention to Portugal's star
player and captain Cristiano Ronaldo as they look to neutralise
Wednesday's Euro 2012 semi-final opponents' chief threat.
"We will be taking special care of Cristiano Ronaldo," said coach
Vicente del Bosque, noting that the Spanish had managed to do
just that in their round of 16 success over their Iberian
neighbours at the last World Cup.
On that occasion, Ronaldo was unable to turn things around as
David Villa, missing from the Spanish squad through injury at
Euro 2012, scored the only goal.
"It won't be an individual (marking) thing, there will be
permanent help as there was two years ago," Del Bosque told Cope
radio referring to the defence in general trying to keep Ronaldo
quiet.
Ronaldo admitted on that occasion that the defeat had hit him
hard.
"I feel wretched, completely desolate, unimaginably sad," he told
Gestifute.com, the website of his agent Jorge Mendes the day
after the match.
He had refused to speak to journalists after the match, saying
only they should speak instead to coach Carlos Queiroz.
"I am a human being, I am suffering and I have the right to
suffer alone," he said.
Del Bosque meanwhile saluted his defence for keeping him in their
pocket and hopes for a repeat in Donetsk on Wednesday.
"When players such as Cristiano Ronaldo are kept quiet then the
credit goes to our defenders," Del Bosque said after the World
Cup meeting.
Yet Ronaldo has found his form here after a slow start.
The Portuguese also can look back to a November 10 friendly
success over the Spanish in their last meeting - even if Ronaldo
did not score on that occasion either.
