“It was Cristiano Ronaldo, but it could have been anyone else” - Joao Palhinha salutes Portugal reaction after missed penalty in win over Slovenia
Joao Palhinha has commended Portugal's reaction after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a crucial penalty in their Euro 2024 Round of 16 win over Slovenia. The match ended in a 3-0 win on penalties at Deutsche Bank Park on Monday, July 1, taking the Selecao to the tournament's quarter-finals.
The match went into extra-time after both sides failed to break the deadlock in the 90 minutes. The Portugal captain missed a penalty in the 105th minute, which was awarded after Slovenian defender Vanja Drkusic fouled Diogo Jota inside the penalty area.
In the penalty shootout that followed, Diogo Costa saved all three shots from Slovenia, taken by Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec, and Benjamin Verbic. Portugal converted all three of their penalties, taken by Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva.
The 39-year-old forward broke down after his penalty was blocked by Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak in open play. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was seen being consoled by his teammates prior to the beginning of the second half of extra-time.
Reflecting on the heartwarming incident, midfielder Joao Palhinha appreciated the unity within the team and claimed the reaction would have been the same no matter who missed the penalty. He said (via O Jogo):
"It demonstrated the union the team had. It was Cristiano, but it could be any other. The reaction of the team would be the same. He will be inside in the next game and I am sure that if an opportunity arises, he will realize."
Portugal will play against France in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on Friday, July 5.
Portugal head coach lauds Cristiano Ronaldo after Euro 2024 Round of 16 win
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has lauded Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality despite missing a penalty against Slovenia. The 50-year-old manager said after the game (via METRO):
"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."
"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," added the Portuguese coach.
Martinez added:
"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."
Cristiano Ronaldo led Portuguese to their maiden European Championship in 2016.