Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir concedes bizarre Euro 2024 own goal, fans spot Cristiano Ronaldo brilliance in it
Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir conceded a ridiculous own goal against Portugal, with some fans lauding Cristiano Ronaldo for his involvement in it. Bernardo Silva scored the opening goal in the 21st minute of the clash on Saturday, June 22. Turkish defender Samet Akaydin then made a massive blunder just minutes later, granting the Selecao another goal.
In the 28th minute, Joao Cancelo produced a tame through ball towards Ronaldo which was safely intercepted by Samet Akaydin. What seemed like a regulation exercise turned out to be a disaster for Turkey. Akaydin and Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir were involved in a terrible moment of miscommunication.
Bayindir had already left his box and moved forward to collect the ball when Akaydin misdirected his pass to the goalkeeper. It was too late for a sprinting Bayindir to stop the ball as it slowly trickled past the goal line for Portugal's second goal within the first 45 minutes.
Some fans jokingly dubbed the own goal the "Ronaldo effect", as they credited Cristiano Ronaldo for stopping at the right time, leading to the miscommunication between Akaydin and Bayindir. Here are some of the reactions on X:
"Ronaldo’s aura scared the defender 😭😭🐐🐐" a fan wrote.
"Ronaldo will win the Euros for Portugal" another predicted.
"Huge miscommunication! This game is over!" another added.
"Ronaldo’s effect 🔥" one reckoned.
"The goal keeper is s*it😭😭 not surprised, he plays for man utd" one wrote.
"The Ronaldo effect. He stopped running and confused the defender" another observed.
"Ronaldo made that Goal" another claimed.
"Ronaldo stopped and they got confused" one more said.
Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney wants Cristiano Ronaldo to face England in Euro 2024 final
Former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney recently mentioned that he would like Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal to face England in the Euro 2024 final, with the latter winning the tournament.
Speaking to The Overlap, Rooney recalled the two times England lost to Portugal on penalties in 2004 and 2006. He hoped that the Three Lions could defeat his former Manchester United teammate's side in the upcoming Euro 2024 final.
"Just because of my experiences, I would say Portugal (as the team I want England to beat the most). Broke me in 2004, I got sent off in 2006, and they beat us on penalties both times. I'd love to see England beat Portugal in the final," Rooney said.
Cristiano Ronaldo was a part of the Selecao squad both in 2004 and in 2006. In the first instance in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals, England lost to Portugal 5-6 on penalties. In the Euro 2006 quarter-finals, Ronaldo's side beat Rooney's England 3-1 on penalties.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney shared the pitch 206 times at Manchester United with 25 joint-goal participations between 2004 and 2009. They won numerous trophies together, including one UEFA Champions League.
Going by the format of the tournament and the groups, Portugal and England can only face each other in the final in the 2024 edition. However, they have several stages to cover before reaching gearing up for the ultimate showdown.