Post-match: Joins pitch invader for a pic
Paris : Portugal skipper and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo put aside his disappointment over a sub-par display to grin next to an audacious fan while taking a selfie after his country were held 0-0 by Austria at the European Championship.
The Portugal star endured a tough evening against Austria at the Parc des Princes here late on Saturday. He missed a penalty, had a goal correctly ruled out for offside, missed quite a few chances and misfired on multiple occasions from free-kicks.
He would have been forgiven, then, for giving short shrift to a pitch invader who attempted to get a photo even as stewards closed in, reports goal.com on Sunday.
Instead, Ronaldo ushered the security staff away to give the supporter time to take the snap even if his expression betrayed disappointment at the 0-0 draw. The security personnel had to wait patiently as the fan fumbled around with his phone before taking the selfie.
The Real Madrid star will be hoping to take a happier photo after Portugal’s last game of Group F when they play for a spot in the last 16 against Hungary.
Ronaldo has now missed 19 out of 110 career penalties, including in shootouts, according to renowned Spanish statistician Mr Chip. He pointed out however that Argentine rival Messi has missed the same number from 87 penalties.
[dropcaps round=”no”]T[/dropcaps]here was relief for Austria and joy for those who like to see superstars cut down to size after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty and a chance to go into the European Championship record books on Saturday.
Portugal’s coach Fernando Santos would not say whether Ronaldo was also in tears in the dressing room. Asked how the Portugal captain was feeling, Santos diplomatically responded: “I prefer not to talk about this subject. I won’t talk about individual players.”
Austria coach Marcel Koller was relieved and delighted. The miss meant his side keep alive their slender hopes of reaching the last 16. “Ronaldo made chances. You have to be 100 percent against a player like him with the creativity that we all know he has. Fortunately he didn’t manage to score. If the ball had gone in we would have been able to pack our bags for Austria,” declared Koller.
Other observers twisted the knife a little. Former England captain Gary Lineker said on Twitter: “Ronaldo: no goals from 36 free kicks in major tournaments. Bale: 2 goals from 3 free kicks in major tournaments.”
