Portugal manager Roberto Martinez came to the defense of Cristiano Ronaldo after the star player expressed his frustration by kicking a water bottle upon being substituted during their unexpected 2-0 defeat to Georgia. Ronaldo, playing for Al Nassr, was taken off just over an hour into the match by Martinez, who sought to find a solution to the goals scored by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze. Goncalo Ramos replaced Ronaldo, but Portugal failed to mount a comeback against a Georgia team ranked 66 places below them in FIFA’s global rankings, marking the biggest upset in the history of the European Championships statistically.
Ronaldo had a challenging outing, receiving a yellow card earlier in the game for vehemently protesting to the referee after a tussle with center-back Luka Lochoshvili. Despite clear shirt-grabbing by Lochoshvili, no penalty was awarded to Ronaldo. Martinez voiced his discontent post-match, highlighting the inconsistency of the VAR, which eventually awarded Georgia a penalty for their second goal.
Martinez acknowledged the team’s shortcomings, stating, “At times, we were unlucky. The VAR was inconsistent; if it’s a penalty on Antonio Silva, it was even clearer for Ronaldo. Georgia had the game of their lives, and we didn’t match their intensity.”
Chaotic evening for Ronaldo
After being substituted, Ronaldo’s frustrations continued as he narrowly avoided a bizarre incident with a supporter. While walking down the tunnel, a fan jumped over the barricade towards Ronaldo, prompting security to intervene and prevent any contact with the 39-year-old. This incident followed earlier encounters where Ronaldo had been targeted by pitch invaders during Portugal’s match against Turkey in the tournament.
Looking ahead, Portugal faces Slovenia in the last 16 of the competition, with their Monday night fixture determining their progression to the quarter-final stage.
