体坛英语新闻：Portugal "blessed" to have Ronaldo, says Fonte

MOSCOW, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Portugal felt "blessed" to have Cristiano Ronaldo, said center back Jose Fonte following the European champions' victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup here on Wednesday.

The 1-0 win against Morocco provisionally moved Portugal atop Group B with four points, prior to the duel between Spain and Iran later on Wednesday.

"We showed togetherness and kept dealing with crossings, clearances and headers. It felt good to have a clean sheet. (Rui) Patricio did a couple of good saves.

"In the second half we should have had more control on the ball. We were a little bit disappointed about that, but we got the win. We should be happy about that," said Fonte, who plays for Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Yifang.

Fonte, who finished a match-leading 10 clearances, said, "We defenders try our best to keep the goal and not let our opponents score. If we have the possibility of scoring, we will try our best to do it."

Ronaldo has netted four times in two matches after scoring a hat-trick against Spain, becoming the second Portuguese player to have scored at least four goals at a single World Cup, following the footsteps of Eusebio in 1966.

"Nothing more," Fonte said when asked if Ronaldo had done something special. "He's always the best player in the world. We can expect that he is going to show more."

"It's the same thing that he does in every match. He gives us confidence that we can win every match.

"We have to enjoy his performance. He is relentless. He is a very hard-working player, and always trains everything. He takes care of his body, and he is always ready.

"He is a great leader, and a good example for everyone. We are just blessed to have him," Fonte added.

Portugal will put on their final group match against Iran.