LISBON, May 15 (Reuters) – Roberto Martinez has seen enough World Cups to know they are more a travelling circus of heat, humidity, penalties, bad bounces and sudden storms than a series or certainties. After leading Belgium in 2018 and 2022, for Portugal’s manager this year’s tournament may be the wildest ride yet.
Speaking to Reuters in an interview in Lisbon on Thursday, Martinez said Portugal’s impressive momentum led by an ageless Cristiano Ronaldo would count for little once the tournament begins, with the expanded 48-team World Cup across three countries presenting a leap into the unknown.
“We’re talking about going into the unknown,” Martinez said. “Forty-eight teams means a longer period. You need to have incredible resilience… You don’t prepare for iconic moments — you prepare the team to perform under any circumstances.”
Portugal arrive with belief after a flawless qualifying campaign and a Nations League title, but Martinez was quick to douse any temptation to confuse form with entitlement.
“Anything that we’ve done until now just gives you three games in a World Cup. It doesn’t give you anything,” he said. “You arrive at the World Cup, you’ve got three games in a group phase, and everything starts there and then.”
Martinez had the chance to observe the Club World Cup in the United States last year as a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group, an experience he described as essential for understanding what Portugal may face.
The lessons were not merely tactical, but meteorological, logistical and psychological.
“The complexity of playing with different time zones, with playing with the heat, the humidity, almost moments of uncertainty when you get the storms,” he said. “There are many aspects that are very, very different how the game is played under those circumstances than what we do in Europe.”
He also studied how teams used base camps, with some preferring one familiar hub and others moving closer to match cities.
“We’ve gone from the complexity of the preparation to make it to an opportunity to use our experience with our preparation,” he said.
Martinez knows the World Cup’s geography can shape a campaign. He contrasted Russia, with its vast distances, with Qatar, where teams could stay in one hotel and travel little.
SEMII-FINAL HEARTACHE
The Spaniard has lived both the thrill and cruelty of World Cups. With Belgium in 2018, he beat Brazil in a quarter-final he said carried an “enormous psychological barrier”, then suffered the agony of losing a semi-final before regrouping to win the third-place playoff.
“Losing a semi-final is somebody taking, ripping your heart away from the dream of being in a cup final,” he said.
Those scars inform his view that World Cups are not won simply by the prettiest football.
“A World Cup is something that you’re never prepared to be successful. It’s almost you have to find a way in that journey,” Martinez said. “The opponent plays a part, what happens in the game plays a part, luck plays a part.”
Asked about Carlo Ancelotti’s view that the most resilient team often wins rather than the best, Martinez agreed.
“The difference will be a penalty shootout, a good decision in the final third, a bit of luck that the ball hits a post and it goes in or hits a post and it goes out,” he said.
“In a World Cup, you need to have sometimes attributes that are not related to talent. It’s the team values, that resilience, that knowing how to suffer.
Portugal have the talent, he said, but 2026 will test their adaptability as much as their technique.
“The margins are minimal,” Martinez said. “With 48 teams and three countries, the margins are going to be even smaller.”
The post Portugal must find their way through World Cup chaos, says Martinez first appeared on Fastbreak.
Filipino-American setter Tia Joy Andaya has reportedly parted ways with Choco Mucho Flying Titans after an abbreviated stint in the Premier Volleyball League.
According to a report by Abante’s Lito Oredo, the 25-year-old playmaker decided to leave the Philippines and return to the United States after becoming frustrated with her limited playing time during her first season with the Flying Titans.
Andaya, who played collegiately for Gonzaga and Central Washington University, was said to have requested her release from the team after spending most of the conference on the bench.
The former Alas Pilipinas Women pool member has reportedly been back in the United States for nearly a month and was even given a farewell gathering by fellow Filipino-American players before her departure.
Before joining the PVL, Andaya had already played professionally in several countries overseas.
She was also previously considered for Alas Pilipinas Women alongside other Filipino-American players and had explored the possibility of changing her sporting allegiance before eventually not pushing through with the national team setup. (AC)
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Filipino karatekas Ysabella Arwen Varias and Carl Caruana came up short in their respective bronze medal matches on Day 3 of the Karate One Youth League on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Despite the setbacks, the two emerged as the top local performers so far in the international tournament sanctioned by the World Karate Federation and organized by the Karate Pilipinas Sports Federation, Inc.
Varias bowed to Romania’s Momanu Alexandra, 0-4, in the bronze medal match of the cadet kumite female -61-kilogram division.
The 15-year-old Filipino earlier impressed after upsetting WKF-1 representative Mariaa Sereda, 1-0, in her opening bout before advancing through the repechage round.
“Nakakao-verwhelm po na makasali dito sa tournament kasi lahat ng kalaban magagaling,” said Varias.
“Medyo kinabahan po ako sa laban sa bronze at hindi ko nagawa yung dapat kong gawin katulad ng sa first match against the Russian laban sa Romanian,” added the incoming Grade 10 student from Paco Catholic School.
Her coach, Oliver Manalac, believed nerves played a major factor in the loss.
“Ysabella could have used her nervousness in fighting against the Romanian but she was stiff and tentative. But this young girl learn from that experience and be better in the long run,” Manalac said.
He added that competing in both kumite and kata may have affected Varias physically.
“She might have been a bit stiff at the start of her fights since different muscles are being used for the two karate disciplines,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Caruana absorbed a 1-9 defeat against WKF-1’s Levon Shaishian in the bronze medal bout of the junior kumite male +76kg category.
Despite giving up a significant height advantage, the 17-year-old Filipino remained proud of his campaign.
“Mataas talaga yung kalaban kaya mahirap tamaan. But I am proud that I was able to get here,” said Caruana.
The young karateka also dedicated his performance to his parents, who borrowed money to support his trip to Manila.
“Kaya dini-dedicate ko itong laban ko dito sa mga magulang na nangutang para makarating ako dito sa Manila sa pamamagitan ng barko. I owe this achievement to them,” he said.
The post Varias, Caruana fall short of medals in Karate One Youth League first appeared on Fastbreak.
