Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praised Cristiano Ronaldo after a night against Slovenia in which the captain missed a penalty in extra time and then scored in a 3-0 shootout win to help take them into the quarterfinals at Euro 2024.
Ronaldo was tjanking after his extra-time spot-kick miss left the score at 0-0, but redeemed himself by scoring with the first kick of the shootout before goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved three penalties to send Portugal through.
And Martinez says: “He [Ronaldo] doesn’t need to care that much and that’s why I thank him for being the way he is, for caring for the group... I was certain he had to be the first penalty taker and show us the way to the victory.
🤤![CDATA[]]>🤤@Alipay | #EUROSkills pic.twitter.com/hKgOllTqBY
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 1, 2024
That save in extra time! 😲
A heroic performance from Diogo Costa ⛔👏@Vivo_GLOBAL | #EUROPOTM pic.twitter.com/8SUasSX2aR
“I think we all felt very proud of our captain. The dressing room was delighted with what he’s doing. I think he gave us all a lesson, that you need to live every day as if it’s the last one.
“You need to have real high standards and never give up – life and football gives you difficult moments, and the way he reacted is a real example that we are very proud of in Portuguese football.”
Ronaldo says of the match: “Sadness at the start is joy at the end. That’s what football is. Moments, inexplicable moments.
“A direct shot to give the team the lead. I didn’t manage it. [Jan] Oblak made a good save... I haven’t missed once all year, and when I needed it most, Oblak saved it.”
Martinez and Portugal face a quick turnaround as they next prepare to meet France, who earlier on Monday beat Belgium 1-0 in their last-16 tie, in Hamburg on Friday.
Momentos inexplicáveis. Vamos dar tudo! Obrigado, 🇵![CDATA[]]>🇹 pic.twitter.com/DoYEq1gPqp