In the procedural match against Georgia, Cristiano Ronaldo played from the start but did not score any goals. Not only that, he also received a yellow card and was taken off the field after more than an hour of play.
Portugal has secured a place in the 1/8 round as well as the top spot in Group F after only 2 matches. Therefore, the match with Georgia no longer means much to them. However, Ronaldo still played from the start hoping to get his first goal at EURO 2024. However, he had to go through a disappointing day.
Ronaldo still has no goal at EURO 2024
By playing against Georgia, Ronaldo became the first European player to reach the 50-match mark in major international tournaments such as the World Cup and EURO. Specifically, CR7 has appeared 22 times at the World Cup Finals and 28 times at the EURO Finals.
However, on the day of setting the record, Ronaldo was unable to score any goals. According to statistics, this is the first time in his career, throughout 11 major tournaments (5 World Cups and 6 EUROs), CR7 has failed to score any goals in the group stage.
In the match against Georgia, Ronaldo was on the field for 66 minutes, made 3 shots but failed to score. In addition, only 7 of his 11 passes were accurate, reaching a rate of 64%. No goals, no assists, no successful dribbles, Ronaldo even missed a good opportunity in the first half.
Notably, this match Ronaldo left behind some unflattering images. In the 21st minute, Antonio Silva and Ronaldo moved together to catch Felix’s cross. In the end, Silva touched the ball first but headed it wide. And Ronaldo expressed his frustration with the 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder.
Ronaldo got mad because he didn’t get a penalty and because he overreacted, he got a yellow card
Immediately after that, in the 28th minute, Ronaldo received a yellow card. The situation happened near the end of the first half, when Portugal was leading 0-1. Ronaldo participated in a ball in Georgia’s penalty area. He thought his shirt was pulled by the opposing defender so he requested a penalty kick. However, the referee decided to ignore the situation and did not even check VAR, even though camera angles proved that Ronaldo was actually pulled in the penalty area.
Ronaldo then rushed straight at the referee, waving his arms in protest and shouting loudly about the decision. Referee Scharer immediately showed Ronaldo a yellow card for his excessive reaction and obstructing the continuation of the match.
In the 66th minute, after being taken off the field by coach Roberto Martinez, CR7 showed his frustration again. On the way to the technical area, CR7 kicked the water bottle over. Then, while sitting in the team cabin, he continued to show signs of struggle.
Ronaldo was angry when he was replaced early
Up to now, despite starting in all three EURO 2024 group stage matches, Ronaldo has yet to score a goal and only had one assist in Portugal’s 3-0 victory over Türkiye.
CR7 still holds the record of scoring the most goals in EURO finals with 14 goals and is eager to increase his scoring record. He will have to wait for his opportunity in the match against Slovenia in the 1/8 round.