"We are very disappointed" - Fernando Santos reflects on Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal following Euro 2020 exit

Fernando Santos was full of praise for Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal's Euro 2020 exit following their 1-0 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16.

Despite their best efforts, Portugal lost 1-0 to Belgium, courtesy of a stunning strike by Thorgan Hazard.

At the end of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo was seen taking off his captain's armband and kicking it away, which has led people to question whether the forward will be part of the international picture ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

However, Fernando Santos was quick to put the rumors to rest, giving Cristiano Ronaldo his full backing. He told the media:

"Ronaldo scored five goals in the tournament. He didn’t score today but he was a true captain in every sense of the word. He tried to turn the game around. There’s no issue with Ronaldo."

Portugal have scored 23 goals in their last 4 tournaments. Cristiano Ronaldo has contributed to 19 of them. pic.twitter.com/2kJnAulz6B

— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) June 28, 2021

Despite Portugal's exit from Euro 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo is currently leading the Golden Boot race with five goals.

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Santos shares Cristiano Ronaldo's disappointment with Portugal's Euro 2020 performance

Portugal bowed out at Euro 2020's Round of 16

Portugal were touted as one of the favorites to win the tournament heading into Euro 2020.

It is understandable that both Santos and Cristiano Ronaldo were disappointed with their team underperforming and failing to make it past the Round of 16.

Santos expressed his disappointment at not being able to beat Belgium and is now ready to look ahead to the 2022 World Cup:

"I think it is unfair but this is football. If you score you win - they scored, we didn’t," Santos added.

"But apart from the first 10 minutes when we didn’t play that well, my players played with a strong mentality and tried to attack. We wanted the ball. We had 29 shots and couldn’t score one. They had six shots and one on target and they won. We hit the post and carried on being dangerous but the ball wouldn’t go in. We kept our heads up and kept thinking we could turn things but this is football.

"Sometimes we have had fewer chances and won. We are very disappointed. We thought we could reach the final and win – that was our attitude. Some of the lads are crying in the changing room but we can still win more titles and now we are looking forward to the World Cup."

Cristiano Ronaldo on Instagram after Yesterdays defeat. pic.twitter.com/SdBJttQHhF

— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) June 28, 2021

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