Cristiano Ronaldo criticised Iceland after the plucky minnows claimed a 1-1 draw against Portugal in their Euro 2016 opener.

Portugal wasted a series of chances and were held in the Group F clash in St Etienne after Birkir Bjarnason cancelled out Nani's opener.
Ronaldo told several national newspapers: "It was a little bit frustrating, we tried hard to win the game, Iceland didn't try anything.

"They scored a goal, they created two chances in the 90 minutes and otherwise they got every player behind the ball, they put the bus in the net.

"So it's difficult when one team don't try, but Portugal try and play football and try to win the game.

"Iceland didn't try anything, they were just defend, defend, defend and playing on the counter-attack. It was a lucky night for them."

The game marked Iceland's first appearance at a major tournament, and the country is the smallest to feature at a European Championship, with a population of just 330,000.
Ronaldo, who spurned a number of chances himself, said: "I thought they'd won the Euros the way they celebrated at the end, it was unbelievable.

"When they don't try to play and just defend, defend, defend, this in my opinion shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition."

Ronaldo also said he himself was not 100 percent fit and playing out of his favoured position.

Iceland defender Kari Arnason says that Ronaldo's bitter words makes the result "even sweeter" and highlights why Lionel Messi is rated ahead of the Real Madrid man as the game's best player.

Asked about these comments in the mixed zone at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne, Malmo defender Arnason, 33, said it made him even happier about what he and his teammates had achieved.

"It makes it even sweeter when he's a sore loser like that," Arnason said. "I mean, he can say whatever he wants. He didn't really get a chance today, he got one and he couldn't put it away. What can I say? Sore loser. Tough s---."

The former Vikingur, Djurgarden, Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United and Aberdeen player said Ronaldo's sour reaction showed how Barcelona star Messi was always "one step ahead" in the pair's duel to be the world's best.

"Well, he's a fantastic footballer, but he's not a gracious human being and the thing is we almost nicked the win so him saying we weren't going for the win contradicts that," Arnason said. "We got a draw and could have nicked it.

"Obviously we're not going to create as many chances as a fantastic team like Portugal, but his comments are the reason why Messi is always going to be one step ahead of him. It shows we got under his skin. It was lovely to hear that."

Over the 90 minutes Ronaldo had 10 shots at goal, more than the total managed by nine of the 24 teams at the tournament so far. But his only effort on target was a close range header easily saved by Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Thor Halldorsson, and Arnason accepted his side had defended the three-time Ballon D'Or winner well.

"Yeah we did," Arnason said. "[Ronaldo] had a header in the final minutes of the game and a chance in the first half, but otherwise I thought we had him under control.

"We didn't set up to man mark him or anything, we just had to know where he was at any given moment, and that he will shoot from outside the box, and that everything has to be blocked. Our game plan worked perfectly other than the goal obviously.

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