The tears of Cristiano Ronaldo transformed into joy when Portugal defeated Slovenia in a penalty shootout and secured a spot in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, where they will face France. This happened despite the 39-year-old’s earlier missed penalty in extra-time.
Ronaldo was in tears and needed comforting from his teammates when Jan Oblak made a spectacular save from his penalty in the 105th minute. After a tough and scoreless match, Portugal’s first attempt in the shootout was converted by Ronaldo as goalkeeper Diogo Costa managed to block shots from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec, and Benjamin Verbic, allowing Portugal to advance.
Costa’s remarkable performance enabled Bernardo Silva to successfully score the deciding kick, following a goal from Bruno Fernandes. This came after an equally crucial save by Benjamin Sesko in a one-on-one situation during extra time, as Slovenia almost caused a major upset.
The unfolding of Ronaldo’s eventful evening
In just 8 minutes into the game, Ronaldo’s appeal for a penalty is turned down. This happened after he was tackled in the Slovenia box, following a pass from Rafael Leao.
After 13 minutes, there was another expression of disappointment as Bernardo Silva’s cross went a little too high for him to reach, and Bruno Fernandes was unable to convert the ball at the far post.
After 16 minutes, referee Daniele Orsato correctly dismisses Ronaldo’s second penalty claim of the evening.
After 31 minutes, Ronaldo positions himself for his initial free-kick of the evening and raises his gaze towards the sky as the ball narrowly misses the bar.
After 36 minutes, Ronaldo is seething with anger as yet another cross from Silva narrowly misses his head.
After 39 minutes, Ronaldo takes control of a free-kick and misses the goal from a crossing position on the left-hand side of the touchline.
In a span of 55 minutes, there was another opportunity for a free-kick, but this time it was taken from a more central location. The shot was directed straight towards Jan Oblak and he easily caught it.
After 72 minutes of play, Ronaldo makes his fourth and last attempt at a free-kick, but it goes into the crowd without causing any trouble, leaving him visibly frustrated.
89 minutes had passed when there was an opportunity to secure a victory in the second-to-last minute of regular time. However, Ronaldo’s shot was aimed directly at Oblak from a through-ball by Diogo Jota.
In 105 minutes, Oblak saves Ronaldo’s penalty, causing a sorrowful response from Portugal’s star player. He needed to be comforted during the break.
After 120 minutes of intense play, Ronaldo, who was still visibly affected by his previous near-miss, maintains his composure and successfully directs the ball into the bottom corner, scoring Portugal’s first penalty in the shootout and setting the stage for a triumphant comeback.
