Cristiano Ronaldo’s tears are perhaps the most vivid emotion of the first round of the Euro 2024 playoffs. Portugal fought against the Slovenians throughout the match, created almost no danger to their own goal and had an excellent chance to score in the first extra time. Jota took a penalty, Cristiano went to the point, shot to the corner… And the ball landed in Oblak’s hands.
Then everyone consoled Cristiano: coaches, partners, staff. The feeling that for Ronaldo at that moment the world simply collapsed. But in the end the Portuguese won on penalties and reached the quarter-finals. The second time Cristiano did not disappoint. However, many world media wrote about these same tears. Below is a summary of the main ones.
Marca: “The cloud ruined Cristiano’s night”
The major Spanish media outlets were more supportive of the former Real Madrid player.
“Portugal had to wait for penalties to reach the quarter-finals. Jan Oblak made Cristiano’s night miserable to the point of making him cry. Simply the worst night for the legend: despair and tears in the match against Slovenia. An evil fate happened that was important to break. But it was not Ronaldo who did it. Although everyone supported him. It seemed that a mistake was one of the most difficult moments in a player’s career. As well as realizing that some fans shout “crooked” at him. Although against Slovenia he looked more energetic than ever.
In the penalty shoot-out, Diogo Costa showed who the real hero is. He is a penalty saver and his saves took the team to the quarter-finals. Cristiano did not miss the tie and apologised to the fans for the previous mistake.”
Everyone calmed him down:
The whole team calmed down the sobbing Ronaldo! The goalkeeper saved Portugal from collapse
ESPN: “They responded with a roaring, forgiving “Yes”
One of the main sports media outlets describes how the fans have forgiven Cristiano.
“Ronaldo, 39, went into the Euro 2024 game without a goal. The moment he would become the oldest player to score in the final came in the 105th minute. He had already missed several opportunities before that, though, which he had consistently taken over the past 20 years. Portugal were awarded a penalty and Ronaldo missed the all-important goal.
Tears welled up in Ronaldo’s eyes and soon began to flow during the break, before the start of the second half of extra time. His teammates consoled him, kissed him on the forehead and encouraged him to keep going. Ronaldo’s mother was in the stadium and the broadcast showed her crying after he missed the penalty.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
But the most important thing is what Ronaldo did in the post-match series. Cristiano looked at the crowd apologetically and put his hands together as if he were praying. The fans responded with a roaring, compassionate cry of “Seeeee”, the signature goal-scoring cry of their football icon.
BBC: Ronaldo has hit rock bottom
The British channel has so far presented the main meme about Ronaldo. Misstiano Penaldo – this caption appeared immediately after the player missed a penalty. The translation for everyone is different, if we assume that Miss in translation means “to miss”. They were immediately criticized, including John Terry. “This is a shame,” he wrote on his social networks.
This is how the events of the match were described on the website:
“When Jan Oblak saved Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty in extra time, the Portuguese legend’s dreams were crushed in an instant. He hit rock bottom. The 39-year-old, who later told Portuguese media that it was his last European Championship, bowed his head and burst into tears. At the same time, his teammates consoled their captain. A legendary career at the European Championship seemed destined to end in the most brutal way.
Ronaldo’s penalty was saved in extra time, but just 15 minutes later he arrived in the same position to score the first of the series. Then goalkeeper Diogo Costa made Euro history by making three saves. Ronaldo began to cry again, this time from pure joy and relief.
The coolest goalkeeper in Portugal:
Historic performance from the Portuguese goalkeeper! This has never happened before at the European Championship.
“Even the strongest people have bad days. I was at my lowest point when the team needed me the most. Sadness at the beginning is joy at the end. This is what football is. Moments, inexplicable moments. I am sad and happy at the same time,” Ronaldo said after the match, before breaking down in tears again.
Kicker: “Reaching the quarter-finals has limited the connection with Ronaldo”
German journalists are not happy with Ronaldo’s performance.
“He could have become a great hero, but in the end the only thing left of Cristiano Ronaldo was a gesture. A gesture of apology. Portugal reached the quarter-finals, but has a limited connection with Cristiano.
But this is the merit of Jan Oblak. The star goalkeeper of the Slovenian national team saved Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty. The moment hit the Portuguese player’s huge ego, who burst into tears and had to be consoled by his teammates. His mother, who was present at the stadium, also found it difficult to see her son like this.
Jan Oblak
Photo: Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Did Cristiano Ronaldo think about Timi Elsnik’s statement before the match? He said that Slovenia would win if it went to penalties.
Instead of a record, Ronaldo could have had drama. But in the penalty shoot-out it was not Oblak who showed his best, but Costa, who is the hero of the night.”
What about offsides?
At Euro 2024 they complain about small offsides. It doesn’t make sense
