Ronaldo’s tears turn to celebration in Portugal’s shootout win over Slovenia

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FRANKFURT, Germany, July 2, (Xinhua): Cristiano Ronaldo experienced an emotional rollercoaster as Portugal survived Slovenia in a penalty shootout in the Euro 2024 Round of 16.

In a dramatic and gripping match, Ronaldo missed a penalty in extra time, shedding tears on the pitch, but redeemed himself by scoring the first penalty in the shootout.
With goalkeeper Diogo Costa’s three consecutive saves, Portugal triumphed 3-0 over Slovenia to advance to the quarterfinals.

Portugal will face tournament favorites France in the next round, who narrowly defeated Belgium 1-0 in an earlier match the same day.
Costa, currently playing for Porto, was undoubtedly the hero of the match as he saved three penalties in a row from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec, and Benjamin Verbic.

Meanwhile, his teammates Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva converted their penalties, securing Portugal’s 3-0 victory and a spot in the quarterfinals.
“This might be the best match of my career so far. I focused on my tasks on the pitch,” the 24-year-old Costa said in a post-match interview. “I trusted my gut during the penalty shootout. Of course, we had analyzed the shooters, but players often change their minds on the field, so I trusted my gut.” In addition to his heroics in the penalty shootout, Costa made a crucial save in the final stages of extra time, denying a one-on-one opportunity from Slovenia’s forward Benjamin Sesko.

“Costa is our secret weapon. He showed his strength today,” Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praised Costa.
Before Costa’s stellar performance, captain Ronaldo had a chance to score the winning goal, but his penalty was saved by Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak. After missing the penalty, a tearful Ronaldo was comforted by teammates and coaching staff, while Portuguese fans chanted “Viva Ronaldo” to support the 39-year-old veteran.

“This match took me from extreme sorrow to extreme joy. This is football. You can’t explain it,” Ronaldo said in a post-match interview. “I had the chance to decide the game, but I missed, and Oblak made a fantastic save.” Wiping away his tears, Ronaldo continued to play and stepped up first in the penalty shootout, confidently scoring his penalty.
Portugal dominated possession from the kickoff, pressing Slovenia onto the back foot in the opening stages.
However, Robert Martinez’s men struggled to convert their dominance into goals, with Ronaldo and Fernandes both missing close-range opportunities.

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