He thought he was the saviour of the nation. Ineffective throughout the game and in Portugal’s first three matches, Cristiano Ronaldo had the qualification ball at the end of his foot, in a tense round of 16 against Slovenia. In the 104th minute, he hit a penalty won by Diogo Jota. The shot, in force, on the left of the Slovenian goalkeeper seemed well taken, but Jan Oblak relaxed perfectly to send his shot wide of the frame.
It was too much for the Al-Nassr (Saudi Arabia) player, who let his frustration burst and broke down in tears a few seconds later, when Mr. Orsato blew the half-time whistle in extra time. At 39, the Portuguese player has won almost everything in his career but could not hold back, just like his mother, present in the stands. His teammates came to console and reassure him. Especially since the score at that point in the match (0-0) still maintained his team’s hopes of qualifying.
At the end of the match, it was finally tears of joy that flowed down Ronaldo’s face, with his team qualifying on penalties. And this time, the Portuguese captain did not miss.
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