NEED TO BE ON THEIR TOES

Portugal may have Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks but when they face Iran in a crucial match tonight, they will have to be on their toes. With the Asian outfit capable of upstaging the European champions, HT looks at the talking points related to the clash:

OVER-DEPENDENCE ON RONALDO

Cristiano Ronaldo has got four goals from two matches and Portugal will hope that their lead marksman continues his scoring run against Iran.

Of the five shots they have had on target, four have come from Ronaldo’s feet, which may be a cause for concern for Portugal coach Fernando Santos.

If Iran manage to stifle Ronaldo, like Croatia did with Lionel Messi, the Portuguese may struggle to get on the scoresheet.

IRAN NO PUSHOVERS

In their two matches so far, Iran have shown enough quality that will keep the Portuguese on the edge. Iran needed an own goal to go past Morocco before almost toppling Spain in their last match.

With those efforts giving them confidence, coach Carlos Queiroz will hope that they will put an inspired performance against the reigning European champions to qualify for the round of 16.

IMPROVING UNDER QUEIROZ

It will be an emotional outing for Carlos Queiroz (right) who hails from Portugal and was also their coach between 2008 and 2010 before he took over Iran in 2011. Under Queiroz, Iran have been improving with each passing day and the match against Portugal presents them the best opportunity to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time ever.