“We suffer together, we win together” - Portugal star Diogo Dalot reacts after consoling Cristiano Ronaldo following emotional penalty miss
Portugal defender Diogo Dalot has said that the team suffers and wins together following captain Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty miss. The incident happened in the first half of extra time in the 3-0 Euro 2024 Round of 16 shootout win over Slovenia on Monday (July 1) in Frankfurt following a goalless 90 minutes, reducing Ronaldo to tears.
Ronaldo, 39, was having a decent outing but squandered numerous presentable openings, including a venomous free-kick that sailed narrowly over and shooting straight to Jan Oblak in the dying moments of regulation time.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had a golden opportunity of creating history - becoming the oldest scorer in Euros history and the first to score in six different editions - when Portugal received a penalty at the fag end of first half in extra time.
Up stepped Ronaldo and fired a powerful effort, but Oblak guessed correctly, diving to his right to pull off a stunning save. Moments later, Ronaldo had to be consoled by his teammates in the break between the two extra periods as he struggled to contain his emotions.
The A Selecao captain eventually had the last laugh in the shootout, stepping up for the first kick in the shootout and firing low to Oblak's left, despite the goalkeeper diving the right way. Soon, Roberto Martinez's side sealed a 3-0 shootout win, with Slovenia missing all three of their spot-kicks to reach the quarter-final.
Following the emotional win, Dalot, who consoled the teary Ronaldo, posted on Instagram (as translated from Portuguese):
"WE SUFFER TOGETHER. WE WIN TOGETHER"
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. next take on two-time winners France in a blockbuster last-eight Euro 2024 clash in Hamburg on Friday (July 5).
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo sets milestones galore at Euro 2024, eyeing a few more
Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo - widely regarded as one of the game's best players - has a few notable records at the Euros. Coming into Euro 2024, he was already the competition's all-time appearance-maker (24 games) and record goalscorer - both in qualifying (41) and in the finals (14).
He's now the first player to appear in six different editions of the competitions and has the joint most assists in Euros history, level with the Czech Republic legend Karol Poborsky (eight). He's now looking to become the oldest player to score at the Euros and also in the Euro final.
Ronaldo has scored in a record three shootouts at the Euros - won them all - and is the oldest player to score in an European Championship shootout. Can he lead Portugal past Les Bleus on his Euros swansong?