Cristiano Ronaldo seemed disappointed while walking off the pitch after being substituted in the early minutes of the second half during Portugal’s last Euro 2024 group stage clash against Georgia. The match ended in a 2-0 loss for the Selecao on Wednesday (June 26) at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Georgia opened the scoring just two minutes into the game with winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goal from an assist by Georges Mikautadze. The Portugal national team captain received a yellow card for dissent in the 28th minute after he objected to the referee’s decision to not award him a penalty for a shirt-pull.
Georgia were given a penalty after Portuguese defender António Silva committed a foul on Luka Lochoshvili. Georges Mikautadze successfully netted the penalty and doubled the Crusaders’ lead in the 57th minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted and replaced by Gonçalo Ramos in the 66th minute. In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Cabine Desportiva, the 39-year-old icon can be seen walking off the pitch seemingly dissatisfied and kicking a ball in frustration on his way towards the bench. Watch the video here:
This marked the first time in his career that Cristiano Ronaldo failed to net a goal in the group stage of a major international tournament.
Roberto Martinez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s yellow card in Portugal’s Euro 2024 clash against Georgia
Portugal national team head coach Roberto Martinez shared his opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo’s first booking in their Euro 2024 clash against Georgia. He also questioned the role of VAR in the forward’s unawarded penalty. Martinez said (via @TeamCRonaldo on X):
“The VAR was not consistent in today’s match. There was a situation with Cristiano that we were talking about. What the VAR can do? You can look back and award a penalty kick.”
In the post-match conference, the Portuguese manager reflected on his squad’s performance and said (via Reuters):
“It’s a defeat. We started with low intensity, we conceded early and that’s what Georgia needed. We weren’t clear-headed enough with the last pass and in front of goal, and their goalkeeper had an amazing performance. We tried to score but couldn’t and that made Georgia believe all the more. They deserved to win.”
Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal is set to face Slovenia in the Round of 16 of Euro 2024 on Monday (July 1) at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.
Edited by Parag Jain
