Football European Championship Round of 16
After missing his penalty, Ronaldo breaks down in tears in the middle of the game
Status: 02:04 am | Reading time: 3 minutes
Ronaldo fails from the penalty spot and breaks into tears – The scene in the video
Pure drama! Cristiano Ronaldo misses a penalty in the 105th minute of the European Championship round of 16 match against Slovenia. The Portuguese captain bursts into tears and is consoled by his teammates. Watch the scene here in the video.
Cristiano Ronaldo misses a penalty in extra time in the European Championship round of 16 against Slovenia. The superstar is inconsolable, crying uncontrollably in the middle of the game. Ronaldo then takes one more shot in the penalty shootout.
Cristiano Ronaldo spent 105 minutes desperately trying to score his first goal of the European Championship. Then Portugal’s superstar had his big chance in the round of 16 against Slovenia, which Portugal won 3-0 on penalties.
After a foul on Diogo Jota, the Portuguese were awarded a penalty shortly before half-time in extra time. A task for Ronaldo. The 39-year-old immediately grabbed the ball while the discussion was still going on around him. After the last Slovenian had left the penalty area, Ronaldo was finally allowed to take action. He took a deep breath, took four steps and then shot half-high into the right corner.
What no one had expected happened. Jan Oblak, Slovenia’s goalkeeper, actually deflected the powerful shot onto the post. A stunned murmur went through the Frankfurt stadium. Ronaldo himself seemed shocked. The score remained 0:0.
Ronaldo’s crying fit on the pitch
A few moments later, referee Daniele Orsato blew the whistle for half-time in extra time. Dramatic scenes were taking place on the pitch. Ronaldo was already struggling with his emotions on the way to the Portuguese crowd, and his teammates kept rushing over to console their captain.
After coach Roberto Martinez’s speech, Ronaldo finally lost all control. The superstar burst into tears on the pitch. Central defender Pepe had to console the tearful striker for a few seconds and even talked to Ronaldo before the restart. Then the decisive phase of the match began.
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Ronaldo then stepped up to the penalty spot again in the penalty shootout. As Portugal’s second shooter, he hesitated briefly on his run-up and then sank the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. Instead of cheering loudly, the superstar stepped in front of the Portuguese fans in the stands and made an apologetic gesture.
After Portugal’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved all three of Slovenia’s penalties, Portugal was happy to be in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo was clearly relieved. On the lap of honour, he repeatedly allowed his teammates to hug him and applauded the fans.
Futile goal hunt
Ronaldo, however, had an evening full of frustration. The star striker had already searched in vain for his first goal of the tournament in regular time. The Portuguese attacking game is still completely focused on their captain, and his teammates were often looking for Ronaldo.
In the early stages of the match, he jumped free to head the ball twice in the Slovenian penalty area, but the ball flew a few centimetres over him each time. The striker shot a free kick from a central position just over the goal (34th minute). With every missed chance, Ronaldo became more and more annoyed; he gestured to the sky as if he wanted to blame a higher power for his bad luck in finishing.
Cristiano Ronaldo threw himself into every ball against Slovenia – in vain
Those: AP/Antonio Calanni
Two more unsuccessful free kicks followed in the second half and in the 89th minute there was a huge chance to score the winning goal. But Ronaldo shot the ball into the arms of goalkeeper Oblak, alone in front of him. Then came the almost fateful penalty miss in extra time. In total, Ronaldo had eight shots on goal against Slovenia.
At the 2021 European Championship, Ronaldo won the top scorer rankings with five goals. After the round of 16 of the current tournament, however, Portugal’s record goalscorer is still goalless. His goal in the penalty shootout against Slovenia does not count towards the statistics.
If Ronaldo does score in the tournament, he would be the oldest goalscorer in a European Championship finals. The record has been held for a week by Croatia’s Luka Modrić, Ronaldo’s former teammate at Real Madrid. A fact that should continue to drive the superstar, known for his legendary ambition, especially after his performance against Slovenia.
