Perfect so far, Portugal's journey to the euro took a sharp turn on Wednesday after that Surprise defeat to Georgia (2-0). There was a man who symbolized the Lusitanians' depressing evening: Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Ballon d'Or holder and captain of the team for the third time in three matches played a complex game in the middle of the Georgian defence. This contrasts with the first two games where we saw him all smiling, registerselfless (an assist against Türkiye) and even friendly with his teammates.
A match that started with a record and ended with a first
But at Schalke, CR7 was rarely found in a good position. He could have (should?) been awarded a penalty for a rough shirt clash in the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo was particularly frustrated as he was substituted in the second half, being replaced by Gonzalo Ramos before angrily shooting a water bottle, a controversial moment keenly remembered, after the final whistle. A sequence captured on social networks.
He could be celebrating this evening's sale by claiming that he has scored 50 goals (22 in the World Cup, 28 in the Euros), the player having claimed the most major tournament encounters in history.
