Portugal was put through their paces at the Spartak Stadium training ground on Thursday as they prepare to take on New Zealand in their final Confederations Cup group game.
Portugal and Real Madrid superstar Christiano Ronaldo remained coy about his future with the Spanish football giants, refusing to take questions beyond the Confederations Cup where his national team won 1-0 against hosts Russian Federation.
Despite the off-field disruption, Ronaldo picked up the man-of-the-match award in Portugal's opening 2-2 draw with Mexico on Sunday.
Mexico plays New Zealand in its second Confederations Cup game on Wednesday.
New Zealand manager Anthony Hudson has expressed his disappointment following his side's 2-1 loss to Mexico at the Confederations Cup.
The Kiwis will breath a slight sigh of relief if Ronaldo is rested with the Real Madrid star having netted 15 times in his last nine games for club and country.
Hudson was asked how the All Whites will attempt to stop Cristiano Ronaldo, although reports suggest the four time Ballon d'Or victor may be rested by Fernando Santos.
"We always understood and respected their way of playing, a very direct type of football, with a lot of contact".
This is the first time in the history of Federation Internationale de Football Association when a player was escorted by a disabled child.
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"Russia are going to be a different proposition, they like to keep the ball and bring it out of defence", said Mexico's midfielder Juergen Damm.
New Zealand's superb first-half display rattled Mexico and a tense match boiled over with a mass brawl in the dying stages.
But he was all smiles, escorting a young mascot in a wheelchair out onto the Moscow pitch before netting his first Confederations Cup goal.
They gave the Mexicans a scare in Sochi with Leeds striker Chris Wood giving New Zealand a shock first-half lead.
While he admitted to firing the insult at the All Whites bench, he has blamed the entire incident on a member of the New Zealand coaching staff.
The 36-year-old replied: "For me Ronaldo is the best player in the world but if you take him out you still have world class players in there".
After the draw with Portugal, Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio made eight changes against New Zealand, a plan that initially backfired before his side recovered after the break. "We need to control the game and to show to ourselves, especially, that we can compete under such hard circumstances".
New Zealand is already eliminated after losing both games, though unsettled Mexico in a 2-1 defeat.
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