Poland captain Zielinski defends photo with Ronaldo after heavy Portugal defeat
Ronaldo scored twice in Portugal's Nations League win on Friday, and Polish media and fans were far from complimentary after seeing both captain Zielinski and teammate Nicola Zalewski smiling for photos with the Portuguese forward.
At a press conference ahead of Poland's final group game against Scotland on Monday, Zielinski was immediately questioned about the topic, as reporters focussed on off-field issues despite the side's problems on the pitch.
"It looked like this, myself and Nicola approached and we took a photo. Neither Cristiano nor us had a problem with it," Zielinski said.
"I don't see a problem with that. I'm not interested in what happens on social media. For me, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best footballers in history.
"I lost the match, so should I hide in the corner? I approached, we took a photo and that's it. I felt like it."
Goalkeeper Marcin Bulka may have conceded five goals against Portugal, but the main focus of Polish media was the fact that he played the second half with the wrong shorts.
Bulka, wearing number 13 on his jersey, emerged after the break with the number one shorts belonging to substitute Lukasz Skorupski.
"And this is one of the most important questions after Portugal? If it wasn't for the media, I wouldn't even know that these shorts were different," Bulka said.
"Because the size was the same, only the number was different."
Poland, currently third in the standings on four points, cannot make the quarter-finals, but avoiding defeat at home to Scotland would mean entering a relegation/promotion playoff while defeat would signal automatic relegation from League A.
Scotland, bottom of the group and also on four points, could still make the quarter-finals if they defeat Poland and Croatia lose to Portugal, depending on goal difference. Portugal are already through to the quarter-finals as group winners.
