“Something that spurred us on” - Slovenia star shares motivation behind beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in friendly ahead of Euro 2024 clash
Slovenia midfielder Adam Gnezda Cerin recently opened up about their win over Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal in a friendly earlier this year. This comes ahead of their Round of 16 clash in the UEFA Euro 2024 at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, on Monday, July 1.
Slovenia inflicted Roberto Martinez his first loss as A Selecao's manager back in March this year in a friendly at the Stozice Stadium in Slovenia. Gnezda scored in the 72nd minute before Timi Max Elsnik doubled their lead eight minutes later. Despite dominating possession (65%), Portugal couldn't score a goal.
The two sides will now clash in the Euro 2024 Round of 16 clash on Monday. Ahead of the game, Gnezda spoke about how Slovenian fans mostly coming to see Cristiano Ronaldo in March motivated them back then. He said (via RFI):
"The Slovene public mostly wanted to see Ronaldo, that's why they flocked to the match in Ljubljana -- that's something that spurred us on.
"We surprised them, we beat Portugal and we carried that momentum into this tournament, and now the fans are here in great numbers supporting us. I hope we can stay in Germany for a few more days as it's very nice to play matches in front of these great fans."
The winner of the clash will take on the winner of France vs Belgium in the quarter-finals.
A look at Slovenia and Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal's route to Euro 2024 knockouts
Both sides had a rather contrasting group stage at Euro 2024 in Germany. Slovenia were drawn in Group C alongside England, Denmark, and Serbia. They drew 1-1 against Denmark and Serbia before holding the Three Lions to a goalless draw. They finished third in the group and qualified for the Round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Portugal, meanwhile, secured their qualification for the Euro 2024 knockouts after their first two games. They were drawn in Group F alongside Czechia, Turkiye, and Georgia. They beat Czechia 2-1 in a tight contest before comfortably beating Turkiye 3-0 and securing their top spot in the group. A Selecao then shockingly lost 2-0 against Georgia in their final group game.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, hasn't scored so far, making it the only time he hasn't done so in the group stages of a major tournament. He did, however, equal the most assists (8) in the Euros record with Karol Poborsky.