Guedes and Bruno earn Portugal a 2-1 win over Chile after Ronaldo’s half-time exit

Portugal made an encouraging start to their home World Cup preparations with a 2-1 win over Chile at the Estadio Nacional do Jamor in Lisbon on Saturday, though the result was the least eventful part of the night. Cristiano Ronaldo came off at half-time, his replacement Goncalo Guedes scored, and a first-half flashpoint left both sides a man down before the interval.

Ronaldo off, Guedes on, and a goal to follow

Ronaldo started and led the line for 45 minutes without much joy, and Roberto Martinez took him off at the break. The change worked almost immediately. Guedes, the man sent on in his place, opened the scoring in the 58th minute, finishing from close range after Ruben Neves picked him out with a clever ball into the box. With Ronaldo watching from the bench, Bruno Fernandes had taken the armband, and it was the Manchester United midfielder who settled it.

Bruno’s goal in the 75th minute was the pick of the night, a curling effort from outside the area that gave the goalkeeper no chance. It was the kind of strike that has become his signature, and it pushed Portugal two clear with time running down.

A red card each before the break

The first half had ended in a mess. A scuffle flared up and the referee reached for two red cards, sending off Portugal’s Rafael Leao and Chile’s Ivan Roman after the pair got involved in a confrontation. Ten against ten for the second period took some of the structure out of the game, but it did not stop Portugal taking control once Guedes broke through.

Chile, who are not at the World Cup this summer, kept going and got a goal for their trouble. Lucas Cepeda pulled one back in stoppage time with a tidy finish, enough to put a respectable look on the scoreline even if the contest was already settled.

Questions about Ronaldo will not go away

The bigger talking point was the man who did not see the second half. At 41, Ronaldo is heading into what is almost certainly his last World Cup, captaining Portugal at a record sixth tournament, and Martinez has spent months working out how to fit his captain into a squad that is deep and young in attack. A quiet 45 minutes followed by a half-time substitution will not quiet that debate, especially with Guedes scoring the moment he replaced him.

None of it changes the read on Portugal as a team. They have the players to hurt anyone this summer, and a comfortable home win, red cards aside, is a fine way to sign off before the tournament. How Martinez balances Ronaldo against the rest is the question he carries into the group stage, and Saturday gave him plenty to think about.

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