Chilly start for Ronaldo and Portugal at World Cup training

CRISTIANO Ronaldo’s Portugal held their first World Cup training session yesterday at the team’s base in Kratovo, south-east of Moscow, five days ahead of their heavyweight opening clash against Spain.

All 23 players in Fernando Santos’s squad took part in a 90-minute open training session held in light drizzle and chilly temperatures hovering just above 10°C.

The European champions were put through a series of possession-based exercises before working on their finishing, with Valencia winger Goncalo Guedes, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, looking particularly sharp in front of goal.

The squad was then divided into two teams for a game on a half-sized pitch, with Ronaldo at one point thumping a ball over the training complex’s fence and into the trees in a fit of frustration.

The Real Madrid star’s presence had earlier elicited cheers from the 100 or so fans in attendance, with a similar number of media present along the touchline.

Portugal, who were also celebrating the country’s national day yesterday, kick off their Group B campaign against 2010 world champions Spain on June 15, before facing Morocco on June 20 and Iran five days later.

They are playing at a fifth straight World Cup – the country’s seventh appearance in total – and will be hopeful of a much more successful tournament than in 2014, when they crashed out in the group stage.

Their best result saw them finish third in 1966. —