Poland captain refuses to apologise for taking photo with Cristiano Ronaldo after 5-1 defeat

Poland players Piotr Zielinski and Nicola Zalewski person been heavy criticised aft taking photographs with Cristiano Ronaldo successful the aftermath of their thrashing by Portugal

Piotr Zielinski has deed backmost aft being told helium “had nary honour” for getting a photograph with Cristiano Ronaldo aft Poland were thrashed by Portugal.

Ronaldo scored doubly arsenic Portugal hammered Poland 5-1 successful the Nations League connected Friday nighttime successful Porto. It took until the 59th infinitesimal for the archetypal extremity to get from Rafael Leao, but Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Pedro Neto ensured a comfy location win, contempt Dominik Marczuk’s consolation goal.

The effect leaves Poland nether unit going into their last Nations League crippled against Scotland connected Monday nighttime pursuing 5 defeats successful 8 games. Media scrutiny was heightened by events aft the match, with Inter Milan’s Zielinski and Roma’s Nicola Zalewski caught connected camera getting photographs taken with Ronaldo.

Former Poland planetary Jacek Bak led the outrage. “It's not my thing. Times utilized to beryllium different,” helium said. “We get 5-1 [defeat] and I person to inquire Ronaldo for a picture? The feline who f***ed america a infinitesimal earlier? Do we truly person nary honour successful us? Today, societal media is the astir important happening and the archetypal 1 to station a representation with Ronaldo is better? That's not the mode to go.

“Let's accidental it strongly: manager [Michal] Probierz should react. All that was missing was for him to instrumentality a representation with Ronaldo, oregon possibly swap jackets with Roberto Martinez. I conjecture I'm not chopped retired for these times. It's sad. I conjecture I'm chopped from a antithetic cloth. Today's world is unluckily similar that.”

But Zielinski, who is lasting successful for the injured Robert Lewandowski arsenic captain, has defended his actions. “Nicola and I approached him, asked for a photograph and took it. Neither Cristiano nor we had a occupation with it, that's all,” helium explained.

“I americium not funny successful what’s going connected successful societal media. For me, Cristiano Ronaldo is 1 of the apical players successful the past of football. I felt similar taking a representation and I did. That’s it. Why is it unbecoming?

“We mislaid the lucifer but what should I do? Hide successful a corner? I went up to him and asked him for a representation and that’s it. That’s what I felt similar doing. He (Bak) has the close to person his ain opinion. But I don’t deliberation determination was thing incorrect with it.”

Poland manager Probierz took the broadside of his players. “I ever archer the players, if you person a problem, if you consciousness similar doing thing earlier the match, instrumentality a representation earlier the match,” helium said.

“The 90 minutes are of cardinal importance. This clip we failed, but we cognize what to do, however to play, however to work. Every subordinate is simply a quality being. We sometimes hide astir that. These are radical surviving their lives and they are young people.”

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