Euro 2016 Round of 16 vs Slovenia – Ronaldo & Portugal: First tears, then thrilling penalty shootout win – Sports

Ronaldo cries – and may finally laugh

The 39-year-old saw his penalty saved by Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak. During the break in extra time, Ronaldo cried bitter tears. However, a substitution was out of the question. Of course, Ronaldo was the first Portuguese player to take part in a penalty shootout, and this time he succeeded.

As a result, Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved two more penalties after already saving Josip Ilic's first attempt. The Lusitanians won the final 3-0.

Ronaldo apologised to the fans and thanked goalkeeper Costa in particular. The Rothrist-born stopper had already thwarted a great chance for Benjamin Sisko in the 115th minute. The 41-year-old Pepe, as the man behind him, wasted the ball and, like Ronaldo, could have been the loser of the evening.

Slovenia lurks, Portugal hesitates

The defensive Slovenian team, who reached the last 16 without a win, were almost rewarded for their counter-attacking tactics. After a largely disappointing performance, the Portuguese will have to improve significantly if they are to reach the semi-finals.

The debate is likely to flare up again around Ronaldo, who is desperate to score his first goal of the tournament. But it would be too easy to blame everything on Ronaldo. There was little danger from Portugal’s other attacking forces. The best chance fell to midfielder Joao Palhinha. Just before the half-time whistle, the Fulham pro hit the outside of the post. There was not much to it.

And this is how it goes on.

Portugal take on France in the second quarter-final of the tournament in Hamburg on Friday. The match can be watched live on SRF Zwei from 8:30 p.m. (kick-off: 9:00 p.m.).