Portugal head coach Fernando Santos has said he will not start Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Nations League’s first leg against Spain.

Ronaldo participated in the match in the 62nd minute but failed to score after Ricardo Horta equalized for Portugal to end the match 1-1.

In statements after the meeting, Santos indicated that Ronaldo was not excluded due to his level after the 37-year-old had a strong season at Manchester United, scoring 24 goals in all competitions.

He added: “It was a technical choice for this match. We felt it was the best solution for how we wanted to play and lead the match and that it had nothing to do with Cristiano’s level of play, so it’s not an issue.”

He came to the conclusion that there were moments in the match that needed to be thought of differently and we believed that he could take part in the second half and decide the outcome of the match in our favor.