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Football fans have slammed Diogo Jota for not passing the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo towards the end of Portugal's game against Slovakia.
The two nations clashed in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto on Friday (October 13). A Selecao qualified for next year's Germany finals with the win.
While the final 10 minutes proved to be nervy, Portugal eventually came away with a 3-2 win. Cristiano Ronaldo netted a brace after Goncalo Ramos had scored Portugal's opener.
Despite the win, fans were unhappy with Diogo Jota, who replaced Ramos in the 87th minute. One of his first involvements saw him take a shot from close to the penalty area on the right following a save, but it went straight at Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
While Ronaldo was free on the left, Jota was probably justified in going for goal from that distance.
The Liverpool forward then received the ball inside the box in injury time with three defenders in front of him. Rather than passing to an open Ronaldo on the left, Jota took on all three men and even got a good shot across Dubravka. However, the narrow angle allowed the latter to make the save.
After the full-time whistle, one fan wrote about Jota on X (formerly Twitter):
"Diogo Jota must hate ronaldo, and it's most selfish player ever 3 clean chances not passing wtf"
Another tweeted:
"Jota is such a clown man"
Another tweeted:
"If Jota isn't robbing Ronaldo of assists, he's robbing him of more goals."
Here're some more reactions from fans:
It's worth noting that despite not getting a hat-trick, Ronaldo enjoyed a terrific outing for Portugal. The Al-Nassr superstar completed a dribble, laid out a key pass, won two fouls and completed 84% of his passes.
He did, however, miss a presentable chance in the first half with the goal gaping after Dubravka had palmed a shot from Bernardo Silva straight to him.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes star as Portugal see off Slovakia
Portugal entered their game against Slovakia on Friday with a flawless record in their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Roberto Martinez's men had won all six of their previous games, scoring 24 goals and conceding none. That included a 1-0 win in Slovakia in September.
They were on their way in the 18th minute when Goncalo Ramos headed home Bruno Fernandes' cross. Eleven minutes later, a handball in the box by Denis Vavro from Rafael Leao's cross handed them a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo sent Martin Dubravka the wrong way, finding the bottom right corner.
Slovakia halved the deficit in the 69th minute when David Hancko's effort from distance went in off Ruben Dias. However, Ronaldo hit back just three minutes later from Fernandes' superb grounded pass into the box from the right, giving his captain a simple tap-in.
The visitors responded in the 80th minute after Portugal failed to close down the player on the ball on the edge of the box. This time, it was Stanislav Lobotka who fired a beautiful effort from outside the area that curled past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
While Slovakia ventured forward in search of an equaliser, Portugal had space to exploit but failed to make their chances count. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. eventually held on for a 3-2 win to extend their winning streak to seven games.
