Portugal into EURO 2024 quarters even after Rolando Penalty Miss

Cristiano Ronaldo had an eventful evening as Portugal had to put in extra effort to defeat Slovenia in the Round of 16 of the 2024 European Championship on Monday, July 1. Portugal won the penalty shootout 3-0 because to goalkeeper Diogo Costa’s outstanding performance, as he stopped all three of Slovenia’s attempts. But, Ronaldo was the center of attention since the match was an emotional rollercoaster for the superstar.

Ronaldo had a difficult game and missed a number of opportunities, including a penalty kick in extra time. He was sobbing and needed his teammates’ consolation. Late in the first half of extra time, Portugal was awarded a penalty when defender Vanja Drkusic, who was already on a yellow card, unjustly stopped Diogo Jota’s strong move into the area. Drkusic was lucky not to earn a second yellow card.

Captain Ronaldo chose to take the critical penalty kick even though Bruno Fernandes is a reliable penalty taker. But Jan Oblak of Slovenia skillfully stopped his attempt, deflecting the ball onto the post.

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The 39-year-old Ronaldo looked out of form throughout the game, missing many headers as he attempted to tie the record for the oldest goal scorer in Euros history. Additionally, he insisted on taking all four of Portugal’s free kicks at point-blank range, none of which caused Oblak any real problems.

Because of their excellent defense, Slovenia attempted to take advantage of any opportunity by sending long balls to forwards Andraz Sporar and Benjamin Sesko. This tactic worked, giving Sesko two one-on-one opportunities as a result of Pepe’s errors. Seven minutes remaining in extra time, Costa made a great stop to keep the second one in after the first had misfired wide.

Ronaldo at Rock bottom

Sesko’s wasted chances will probably come back to haunt him, and Slovenia struggled against outstanding goalkeeping in the pressure-filled shootout. Ronaldo made up for his previous shortcomings as he calmly scored Portugal’s first penalty in the shootout.

When his team needed him the most, Ronaldo would declare that he had reached his lowest point, but he was still relieved that everything worked out well for them in the end. The Portugal captain thought that because they had greater authority, his team should have won in the end.

“Even the most resilient individuals have terrible days sometimes. In a post-match interview, Ronaldo remarked, “I was at my lowest point… right when the team needed me the most,” before breaking down in tears once more.

“Happy at the end, sad at the beginning.” It’s the nature of football. “Moments, mysterious moments,” he murmured.

“At the same moment, I feel delighted and sad. Nonetheless, having fun is what matters most. The group performed quite well.

“We fought right to the end and if you look at it, if you analyse the game, I think we deserved it because we had more authority.”