OMNISPORT

Cristiano Ronaldo was kept out of the media spotlight in the wake of Portugal's 2-2 Confederations Cup draw on Sunday.

The European champions were denied an opening victory in Kazan after Hector Moreno's last-gasp header salvaged a draw for Mexico, after Ricardo Quaresma and Cedric Soares had scored either side of a Javier Hernandez goal.

Ronaldo was named the man of the match after setting up Quaresma's opener and playing a key part in Portugal's second, meaning he was in line to appear at a post-match media conference.

However, the Real Madrid star was allowed to skip those proceedings, instead giving a short interview to the official sponsors of the award.

"It wasn't the result that we wanted," he said. "We almost had the game won but we suffered in the final minutes. But that's football.

"The team keep improving. We have a great chance of winning the Confederations Cup because there are still two [group] games left. So we have to stay calm and think about the next game.

"We have to win because if we win then we'll be a step nearer qualifying. There's no need to sound the alarm. We're okay."

The 32-year-old then stayed silent as he was given an escort through the stadium mixed zone as reporters waited to question him.

Ronaldo's relative silence comes at the end of a week in which speculation over his future at club level has intensified.

Widespread reports have claimed that the forward wants to leave Spain as a result of a perceived lack of support from Madrid in the wake of allegations of tax fraud.

Prosecutors lodged a complaint at a Spanish court this month in which Ronaldo is accused of defrauding the Spanish treasury of €14.7million in tax owed on image rights. Ronaldo's representatives have denied any wrongdoing. 

The former Manchester United man has yet to comment publicly on his intentions ahead of next season.