It feels like the Euros has stepped up a gear this week, and there’s no doubting who was at the heart of the drama as Cristiano Ronaldo ’s Portugal went up against Slovenia.
Long a talisman for his national side, Ronaldo did his best to make the whole game about himself – missing a penalty in extra time, tearing up on the pitch mid-match, and then scoring one in the shootout as Portugal went through on pens.
The real hero of the day was Diogo Costa, who pulled off three fantastic saves in the shootout to see his side through, but Ronaldo, as always, stole the limelight.
Despite having a squad stacked with talent, Ronaldo was always going to dictate the way Portugal play in this tournament, too.
The 39-year-old took every free kick despite having a pretty appalling record in major tournaments (he has scored just one goal in 60 attempts), and every time a replay was shown on the big screen inside the Frankfurt Arena it felt more like a soap opera than a game of knock-out tournament football.
The biggest moment of the game came when Diogo Jota was fouled in the penalty area. Ronaldo stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but Slovenian keeper Jan Oblak pulled off a world-class save to tip it onto the post.
Ronaldo was in tears as half-time came in extra time, with members of the Portugal squad crowding around him to show support.
His performance and the game as a whole sparked a lot of reaction on social media.
Some were critical, to say the least…
However, some were much more supportive…
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