Cristiano Ronaldo says he was at ‘rock bottom’ after penalty miss

In a dramatic and emotional encounter, Cristiano Ronaldo faced a heart-wrenching moment when his extra-time penalty was tipped onto the post by Slovenia’s goalkeeper, Jan Oblak. This miss seemed to spell the end for Portugal in the Euro 2024 round of 16 and marked a potential conclusion to Ronaldo’s legendary European Championship career.

At 39, Ronaldo had already announced to Portuguese media that this tournament would be his last Euros. The missed penalty left him devastated, and he broke down in tears as his teammates rushed to console him. The game remained goalless after extra time, and it looked like one of the biggest shocks in Euros history was on the cards.

However, just 15 minutes later, Ronaldo redeemed himself by converting Portugal’s first penalty in the shootout. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa then made history by saving three penalties, helping Portugal survive the scare and eventually triumph over Slovenia.

“Even the strongest people have their [bad] days. I was at rock bottom when the team needed me the most,” he admitted, while still emotional. “Sadness at the start is joy at the end. That’s what football is. Moments, inexplicable moments. I feel sad and happy at the same time.”

After missing his penalty in extra time, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his penalty in the shootout.

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After converting it, he made sure to apologize to Portugal fans for his initial miss 🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/NAXe2c6zYg

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 1, 2024

“The important thing is to enjoy it. The team did an extraordinary job. We fought right to the end and I think we deserved it because we had more authority,” Ronaldo concluded, once again tearing up, this time with tears of relief and happiness.