Cristiano Ronaldo struggled to contain his emotions when he missed a penalty in Portugal's last-16 clash against Slovenia
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears after missing a penalty at Euro 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Euro 2024 penalty miss for Portugal against Slovenia provided one of the tournament’s iconic images, as the former Manchester United and Real Madrid icon let his emotions get the better of him.
Ronaldo’s Portugal side had been taken to extra time by Slovenia in their last-16 clash in Germany after both sides failed to score during the initial 90 minutes.
When the Portuguese were awarded a 105th-minute penalty, it looked like it would be business as usual for Ronaldo, but the 39-year-old saw his spot kick saved by Jan Oblak. The match would then head to a penalty shootout and Ronaldo was clearly upset during a team huddle as he struggled to hold back the tears,
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He was eventually able to regain his composure for the shootout, scoring his penalty as Portugal won 3-0 on spot kicks to progress to the quarter-finals and the player has now opened up on why he was so upset in the aftermath of his penalty miss.
“For example, I cried the day I missed the penalty... when I cried, it's not because I felt that if I don't score Portugal will be eliminated, and the world will collapse on me. It's not because of that.
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Cristiano Ronaldo sees his spot kick saved at Euro 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)
"People, they don't know me. Imagine that the last 27 penalties, you score. And in that period, you feel bad for yourself. The people who come to the stadium, your kids, your mum, your girlfriend, everyone. I feel sad because of that.
“So when things go wrong, you feel that. But I love that, I know how to deal with that. But when I missed the penalty I felt bad for myself, for the fans, family - not because of other stuff. You have to express yourself. For me, if you hide this stuff, you're not being yourself."
Portugal would end up losing to France on penalties in their quarter-final clash and Ronaldo would exit the tournament - his final European Championship - without scoring a goal in a major international competition for the first time.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
