FRANKFURT (GERMANY) – From hell to heaven in about half an hour. This could be the title to describe the evening experienced by Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Juve player, in fact, at the end of the first half of extra time in the eighth finals of Euro 2024 between his Portugal and the Slavshad a penalty saved by Oblak. The Portuguese champion, with his team in a circle, could not contain his emotions and burst into tears. A liberating cry captured by the cameras that framed him while he was desperately reassured by the embrace of his teammates. Shortly after, however, with the great personality that distinguishes him, he returned to the spot and this time, despite the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper having guessed the corner once again, he did not fail, leading Roberto Martinez’s team forward in the penalty lottery. Diogo Costa then took care of it, with three penalties saved from as many kicks by the opponents, to give Portugal the pass to the quarter-finals where on Friday 5 July in Hamburg there will be the challenge against the world vice-champions France.
Cristiano Ronaldo on the missed penalty against Slovenia
“I felt sad but then happy in the end… This is football – CR7 admitted at the end of the match –. I experienced incredible and inexplicable moments, I could have given my team the lead but I didn’t finish it. Oblak made an extraordinary save, the penalty didn’t seem that bad to me but I missed it”. Despite everything, however, in the end the Portuguese still advanced to the next round thanks to the exploits from eleven meters of goalkeeper Diogo Costa: “I felt sadness there – reveals Cristiano Ronaldo –but the most important thing is to be able to enjoy the passage to the next round. The team did an incredible job and fought very well: Slovenia was well positioned and put us in difficulty. And then our goalkeeper made three wonderful saves”.
