Cristiano Ronaldo plays down heroics against Netherlands: Without the team, we would not have won

Jun 17, 2012 11:30:00 PM

The attacker resisted the temptation to hit back at those who had criticised him after two goalless outings at Euro 2012, and chose to focus on his team's performance instead

Cristiano Ronaldo refused to take the credit for Portugal's crucial 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, in which he netted a double, praising the team effort of Paulo Bento's men instead.

The Real Madrid star came in for some stinging criticism after failing to find the net in his first two tournament outings, against Germany and Denmark.

Ronaldo, however, stepped up to the mark when his country needed him most, cancelling out Rafael van der Vaart's early opener for the Oranje before then sealing the Seleccao's place in the quarter-finals with another precise finish.

"Without the team, we wouldn't have won," the attacker told reporters after the game. "We achieved our aim and now we have to play against the Czechs, which will be hard."

Paulo Bento's men will meet the Czechs in Warsaw on June 21.

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