Frankfurt, Germany — Nobody creates so much drama in international football in such an operatic way as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal are heading into a blockbuster quarter-final with France at the European Championships after their star captain generated a convincing crowd at center stage in their victory over Slovenia on Monday.
Winning the penalty shootout 3-0 after a 0-0 game against the 57th ranked team in world football may not seem like much.
But there were tears, many, from Ronaldo; a prayerful apology to his fans, who responded with adulation; extravagant gestures of anger, frustration and exasperation; wasted and denied chances to make more history in the tournament; a renewed duel with an old rival goalkeeper; and finally, redemption and victory.
Ronaldo’s mother was at the stadium and TV footage showed her crying too after he missed the penalty.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to score penalties,” Ronaldo told Portuguese broadcaster RTP after the match, becoming emotional again. “I scored more than 200 penalties in my career.
Still, the last act of Monday’s show gave Portugal what it needed.
“We showed the enthusiasm we still have to play, to have fun, to give joy to the fans and that’s it, this is our life”, he said after everything was over, close to midnight in Frankfurt.
Ronaldo, 39, entered the game without scoring at Euro 2024.
The moment he surely became the oldest player to score at a Euro finals came in the first period of extra time, in the 105th minute, after missing five or six of the kind of chances he has taken for 20 years. at this level.
Portugal were awarded a penalty and Ronaldo stepped up to score what could have been the decisive goal.
Instead, Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak, a long-time opponent from his time playing in Spanish league football in Madrid, dived to his left to deflect the stinging shot against a post and move away to safety.
Tears welled up in Ronaldo’s eyes and then fell during the break, before the start of the second period of extra time. His companions consoled him, kissed his forehead and encouraged him to continue.
Extra time also ended 0-0 and, when the penalty shootout began, Slovenia’s first shot was saved by Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
Ronaldo stepped up, facing a stand of around 10,000 Portugal fans. He placed it perfectly low, past Oblak diving to his right.
Ronaldo looked apologetically at the fans and clasped his hands together as if in prayer. The fans responded with a forgiving cry of “Siuuuu” – their football icon’s trademark goal chant.
“I was sure he should be the first penalty taker and show us the way to victory,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez. “Life offers difficult moments and the way he reacted makes us very proud.”
Costa answered the fans’ prayers with as good a penalty shootout as any goalkeeper could have produced.
He saved all three of Slovenia’s shots from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbič. Then he cried too.
Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva also scored as Portugal sealed the penalty shootout 3-0 with two shots to spare.
“I was sad and now I am very happy. This is what football offers,” Ronaldo said in translated comments in a post-match interview. “You can’t explain it.”
Portugal will face France in the quarter-finals on Friday in Hamburg, a repeat of the 2016 final that Portugal won in Paris after Ronaldo was injured early.
“We all know that Cris is the hardest worker. I understand how frustrated he is,” said Costa. “For me, it’s an honor to play on the same team.”
The personal duel between Ronaldo and Oblak was memorable only in regulation time.
It was an extremely frustrating first 90 minutes for Ronaldo, with three free kicks, two missed headers and a golden chance to score with his first accurate shot from open play.
That was in the 89th minute when he raced towards goal with the ball passed perfectly in his stride. The left-foot shot was low and powerful, but Oblak’s block was better.
Ronaldo’s best free kick was a powerful line drive straight at Oblak in the 55th minute, which the tall goalkeeper crouched down to clear with strong hands.
The intense drama for the Portuguese star almost surpassed the turbulent night for Slovenia’s emerging star.
Benjamin Šeško had chances to win the game, in the 62nd and 115th minutes, facing Costa after going past 41-year-old defender Pepe.
The first was a weak shot that went wide, and the second was strong and accurate, but saved by the goalkeeper’s outstretched boot.
Then it was the penalties. As happened in the Euro 2012 semi-finals, when Spain beat Portugal before Ronaldo – as the fifth scheduled player – even had the opportunity to step up.
As happened when Ronaldo’s Real Madrid and Oblak’s Atlético Madrid met in the 2016 Champions League final. Back then, Ronaldo scored the fifth and decisive penalty for Oblak to win the title.
Portugal continues to compete to regain the European title it also won in 2016, at the expense of an admirable Slovenia team that was effectively undefeated after drawing all four Euro 2024 games.
“His emotions show respect for Slovenia,” coach Matjaž Kek said of Ronaldo, “and that’s what I’m satisfied with.”
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