Martínez reveals Sporting starter’s injury: calf knock sidelines key player | OneFootball

Roberto Martínez revealed that Gonçalo Inácio suffered an injury in the Portugal vs. Ireland qualifier for the 2026 World Cup. The Sporting center-back started but ended up coming off at halftime, and the reason for the substitution is now known.

"I think we already saw during the Nations League quarterfinals how important Gonçalo Inácio is for us. Renato Veiga also came on in the semifinal and the final of the Nations League; I think we’re very fortunate to have players like them," he began.

Martínez then revealed that the Sporting defender was injured: "The halftime change was a physical matter: Gonçalo Inácio took a knock to his calf and wasn’t at 100%. We preferred not to take risks and used a player with the same profile who came in very well, was very aggressive, won the first ball, and showed he already has a match rhythm he didn’t have during the September camp. He’s now at a level where he can help the national team. It’s not a serious injury; we have a game in 72 hours, but I think it’ll be resolved in 48."

Portugal returns to the field on Tuesday, October 14, against Hungary. The match is part of the 2026 World Cup qualifying phase and kicks off at 7:45 p.m. at Estádio José Alvalade, Sporting’s home ground

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.