Spanish Media: Ronaldo Has His Worst Game Ever, Scores Penalty and Prays for Fans’ Forgiveness

Despite Portugal’s penalty shootout victory over Slovenia, Spanish newspaper Marca believes that legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo endured the darkest night of his career. As the team’s attacking spearhead, he started the match, but in this crucial encounter against Slovenia, Ronaldo failed to find the back of the net, extending his goalless streak in the European Championship to four games.

The most memorable moment came in the 105th minute when Jan Oblak made a heroic save from Ronaldo’s penalty. After missing the spot-kick, Ronaldo was seen crying, while his mother shed tears in the stands. Marca depicted this scene as a poignant portrayal of a 39-year-old veteran’s struggles at the twilight of his career and the collective heartache of fans witnessing their idol’s decline.

Despite Ronaldo’s struggles, his teammates relentlessly tried to create opportunities for him, attempting to pass the ball, however challenging or ill-advised, to the captain wearing the number 7 jersey. Ronaldo carried the burden of scoring, but in this match, he missed not only the penalty but also set a record for the most direct free-kick attempts (4) in a single Euro game without success. Despite numerous shots on goal, he couldn’t break the deadlock.

Nonetheless, Ronaldo didn’t give up and courageously took the first penalty in the shootout, hoping to guide Portugal to victory. Although he scored, Oblak guessed the right way. After converting the spot-kick, Ronaldo didn’t celebrate; instead, he clasped his hands together in a sign of apology to the Portuguese fans.

Despite Ronaldo enduring his heaviest personal defeat, Portugal ultimately advanced to the quarter-finals of the European Championship.