"Ronaldo should have been sent off!!", "Horrible game" - Twitter explodes as Portugal narrowly defeat Slovakia 1-0 in Euro qualifier

Fans reckon Cristiano Ronaldo should have been sent off as they lambasted Portugal for a 'horrible' performance in their 1-0 win over Slovakia. The match was a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier, played on Friday (September 8).

In a game of few noteworthy chances, Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring in the 43rd minute with a fabulous effort as Roberto Martinez's men led at the break in Bratislava.

In the 62nd minute, Ronaldo was set up by Bernardo Silva, but the Portugal captain mistimed his initial effort. Before he could make a second attempt, Slovakia custodian Martin Dúbravka came out to smother the chance.

However, the 34-year-old was caught in the face by a high boot from Ronaldo, who was also contesting the ball.

The referee dished out a yellow to Ronaldo, ruling him out of the next game at home to Luxembourg on Monday (September 11). VAR checked the foul for a potential red but upheld the referee's initial call. 14 minutes later, Ronaldo saw an effort from a narrow angle thwarted by his former Manchester United teammate Dúbravka.

Portugal, though, hung on for their fifth straight win in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying to remain perfect in Group H and move five points ahead of second-placed Slovakia (10). The Selecao have scored 15 unanswered goals so far.

However, fans were far from impressed with their performance, with one reckoning Ronaldo should have seen red. The fan tweeted:

Another blasted the Selecao's performance on the night, wondering how they would manage the next game without Ronaldo:

Ronaldo has been in sparkling form in the ongoing Euro qualifiers, netting five times in as many outings.

How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared for Portugal?

Cristiano Ronaldo has been a performer-par-excellence for Portugal since debuting for them in a 2-0 friendly win over Kazakhstan at home exactly two decades ago.

Since then, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has racked up a rich haul of 123 goals and 43 assists in 201 games. His goals and assists tallies are records in men's international football.

Ronaldo's crowning moment with his national team came at Euro 2016 when Portugal won their first European Championships by beating hosts France 1-0 in the final. Three years later, he won the UEFA Nations League with the Selecao.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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