Liverpool fans were furious with Cristiano Ronaldo after he missed a penalty awarded to Diogo Jota and began crying.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner missed a penalty in extra time during Portugal’s round of 16 match against Slovenia in Euro 2024. Ronaldo burst into tears and needed to be consoled at halftime of the extra 30-minute period, which ended goalless.
Ronaldo had a lucky escape, as Portugal won in a penalty shootout, securing its place in the quarterfinals against France on Friday. However, frustrations with Ronaldo have been persistent throughout the tournament, and not only among Liverpool fans.
Many supporters believe that playing Ronaldo disadvantages the Portuguese national team, which has one of the most talented lineups in the competition. In each game, Jota and Goncalo Ramos have performed admirably as substitutes for Ronaldo.
Liverpool fans were furious after Jota won a penalty to save Portugal’s day, but Ronaldo scooped up the ball and wasted the chance. Ronaldo’s offside position ruled out a goal scored by Jota earlier in the tournament when Portugal faced the Czech Republic in the group round.
“The fact Jota does not start instead of Ronaldo is sickening; he is literally their best attacker,” one fan remarked on social media. A other person commented: “Jota does so well to create a penalty just for Ronaldo to miss it.”
“Starting him over Jota is a crime,” one fan declared. Another angry commenter said, “If Portugal were serious about winning the Euros, they’d have dropped Ronaldo for Jota.” He is the single largest reason they won’t win.”
Diogo Jota came on for Portugal and won a penalty, which transformed the outcome.
Ronaldo has preserved his place in the starting lineup for Euro 2024 despite not scoring a single goal and squandering numerous opportunities, and is sometimes regarded as the weak link in a formidable Portugal assault. The 39-year-old still wants to compete at the highest level and believes he is the finest in the world, but his results indicate different.
His tears on the pitch said everything, almost as if he was admitting to himself that he was no longer the finisher he once was. Ronaldo is the all-time leading international striker, but despite having numerous opportunities in front of the goal each game, he is unable to score in Euro 2024.
Portugal has struggled after winning its first two games, losing 2-0 to Georgia before a close draw with France. Head coach Roberto Martinez went straight to Ronaldo after Portugal advanced to the next round, but he faces a hard decision ahead of Friday’s game, since lost opportunities against France will almost certainly lead to elimination from Euro 2024.
