When the great Cristiano Ronaldo falters, the whole of Portugal falters. In the round of 16 match, Ronaldo simply couldn’t find the goal, missed several great chances and cried bitter tears – but in the end he still had his happy ending.
It was a game in which superstar Cristiano Ronaldo left his super in the dressing room. The Portuguese player really couldn’t manage anything in the round of 16 match against Slovenia – no matter how hard he tried. The ball just wouldn’t go into the goal. Not from the left, not from the right, not from the front.
In the 30th minute, he headed the ball into the arms of goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Just three minutes later, he missed a free kick from around 20 metres, four minutes later the next, in the 55th minute the third, in the 70th the fourth. Ronaldo grabbed every ball, wanted to score at all costs, his teammates let him. None of them went in. The once feared free kicks were not dangerous, apart from one. And Oblak would probably have saved the dangerous one because it was very central and flew just over the crossbar. And that from a Ronaldo who once hammered the ball into the goal blindfolded on such occasions.
Only the penalty shootout saves the Portuguese in the quarter-finals – all highlights in the video
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Cristiano Ronaldo no longer scores
Ronaldo, who is usually so precise, lacked precision. The striker could have put everything right in the 89th minute, but he was stopped again by Oblak. In extra time, Ronaldo had the next opportunity. Penalty. Ronaldo grabbed the ball as if it were natural. Then the unbelievable happened to him – he missed, or Oblak saved. Ronaldo hadn’t even looked at the keeper.
That was too much for the Portuguese, who had been spoiled by success. During the break in extra time, his teammates hugged and hugged the distraught superstar as if there was no worse misfortune. It was heartbreaking. Ronaldo cried bitter tears, knowing that the missed opportunity would mean Portugal’s end at this European Championship and that he himself could become the tragic hero of the night.
In the end, he and the Portuguese were saved by the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who saved three of the Slovenians’ penalties, and Ronaldo’s last shot. Because that one actually worked. The big old man’s relief at having progressed was clearly visible.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
