New Delhi, June 28 : Portugal were one of the only three teams who secured qualification to the knockouts in the second round of group fixtures. The 2016 winners of the tournament won against Czech Republic and Turkey in their first two games but lost against Georgia in the final group game.

As has been the case for more than a decade, the spotlight is on 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo who will be hoping to register his first goal in this edition of the tournament. The striker has been struggling to find his footing so far.

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, former India skipper Bhaichung Bhutia has questioned whether an aging Ronaldo should still be starting for the Portugal side who he has labelled as the 'dark horses' of the tournament.

"I think Portugal is one of the dark horses in this tournament but I think the biggest problem for them would be how can we substitute Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half? Or can we bench him from the beginning is going to be a big thing. Because I think Cristiano Ronaldo has been a fantastic player for our generation. He's been the best player in the world but we need to accept that with age you lose out on speed and the reflexes.

"At the age of 39, he's still playing in Euro Cup. Starting for Portuguese team is a big achievement. And that shows his quality and dedication and discipline towards the sport. But looking at Euro, we all can see that with the age, we have to accept that he's lost his speed and his biggest strength was his speed and once you lose out the speed in striking position, it becomes quite a big challenge," Bhutia told IANS.

The only goal contribution that Ronaldo has registered so far at the tournament was his assist to Bruno Fernandes which many believed to be an indication of his lack of confidence at the moment as he squared the ball instead of shooting from a very good position.

The assist resulted in Ronaldo becoming the highest goal scorer and highest assist provider in Euros history.

"It's not going to be easy for Portugal and Cristiano because you're going to get even more organized, quicker, strong, experienced defenders. So, can the management have that courage to substitute him or drop him from the start? That is going to be a big gamble and big decision for the management to take. If they don't, then it might really not really help Portugal.

"I don't mind him starting but I think if things are not going well, he's not been scoring and he's not been fighting, then I think it's important that you'll have to substitute him because there are good players on the bench for Portugal," added the former striker.

Portugal will be facing Slovenia in the Round of 16 and are expected to progress from the current round. They will face one of France/Belgium in the quarterfinals and will likely face one of Germany/ Spain in the semi-finals of the tournament making it an extremely difficult path to the finals, any changes that must be made by Manager Roberto Martinez will have to be done in the game against Slovenia, giving the side to gel and adapt to the new changes.

"I think if Cristiano now has to score, I don't see him scoring through open play. I can only see him scoring through penalty or free kick. That is the only thing I can see. The challenge going forward is whether they can drop Cristiano either starting or substitute him in the second half when it's required," concluded Bhutia.

/IANS