It was a roller coaster of emotions for Portugal and their captain Cristiano Ronaldo in their Euro 2024 round of 16 match against Slovenia. The match went into extra time after a 0-0 draw and in the early minutes of its first half, Ronaldo’s penalty was saved by Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak. It led to the 39-year-old being in tears after the first half of extra time.
The match had to eventually be decided via a penalty shootout and Ronaldo stepped up to take the first kick for Portugal. Oblak went the right way once again but this time, Ronaldo managed to put it out of the reach of the goalkeeper towards the bottom left. Ronaldo celebrated by folding his hands together and then holding them apologetically to the Portugal fans behind the goal.
Here is a video of the incident:
Videos of the incident has gone viral and there has been an outpouring of sympathy for the veteran five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Ronaldo later commended Oblak for the save in extra time. “Sadness at the start is joy at the end,” Ronaldo said in an on-field interview following the final whistle. “That’s what football is. Moments, inexplicable moments.
“A direct shot to give the team the lead. I didn’t manage it. Oblak made a good save. … I have to see the penalty, I don’t know if I shot well or badly, but I haven’t missed once all year, and when I needed it most, Oblak saved it.”
Here are some of the tweets from people who felt Ronaldo had nothing to apologise for:
Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa was the hero of the shootout as he saved all three penalties that he faced from Slovenia. Ronaldo could be seen hugging Costa after the victory which has confirmed Portugal’s date with two-time champions France. “I think this was the game of my life,” he told reporters. “Maybe the game where I was most useful. I am very, very happy and I am also very excited that I helped the team.”
Costa said that he understood how frustrated Ronaldo would have been after missing the penalty in extra time. He said that it is an honour to be playing in the same team as the Real Madrid great. “We all know that Cris (Ronaldo) is the hardest worker. I understand how frustrated he is because he devotes all his time to this. For me, it’s an honour to play on the same team. We’re a family, I believe in the work we put in,” he said.