Queiroz: Portugal can cope without Ronaldo

PORTUGAL coach Carlos Queiroz insists his team are more than capable of reaching the World Cup despite the significant absence of Cristiano Ronaldo as they head into the first-leg of their play-off with Bosnia-Herzegovina tonight.

Ronaldo has dominated the headlines this week as the Portuguese football federation became embroiled in a tug of war with Real Madrid over the world’s most expensive footballer.

The FPF insisted on Ronaldo travelling to Lisbon to undergo tests, despite his club firmly maintaining the 24-year-old remains sidelined with an ankle injury that has kept him out of their last nine matches.