Despite the hardship, Portugal finally successfully turned the tables against Denmark in the quarter-finals of the Nations League. They lost 0-1 in the first leg, and had to wait until the 86th minute of the return match to equalize the score to a 3-3 draw. After that, thanks to 2 goals in extra time, the "European Selecao" won the right to enter the semi-finals to face Germany.
This was a match with 4 Portuguese players scoring, in addition to 1 goal that the opponent counter-attacked. Ronaldo's goal to increase the score in the second leg to 2-1, not the goal that decided the fate of the match. However, after the final whistle, the name CR7 was still mentioned the most.
Before the second leg between the two teams, the comments and professional stories were still mentioned but it was not as outstanding as what surrounded CR7. On Thursday evening, Portugal lost 0-1 to Denmark away. Ronaldo was the focus of criticism when he played all his matches but only had 2 shots off target. By Friday, almost all of the drama of the match was directed towards Rasmus Hojlund's "Siu" celebration right in front of Ronaldo.
On Saturday, Ronaldo publicly criticized a reporter in the press conference room. This person only focused on looking at the computer to type while CR7 was answering. The 40-year-old superstar felt dissatisfied and he needed more respect. If someone is waiting for an answer from Ronaldo, look straight at him.
Finally, on Sunday night, Ronaldo had a chance to open the score early in the return match when standing in front of the penalty spot. After that, he finished with an unimaginable gentleness, completely opposite to the usual penalty kick style. Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel of the away team easily blocked and pushed Ronaldo into a state of despair.
After that situation, Schmeichel blocked Portugal's shots in front of Ronaldo three more times. The missed shot on the penalty spot had a significant impact on the 40-year-old superstar's mentality because at that time the home team was still eliminated.
Finally, after Denmark put the ball into the net twice (1 time against home), Ronaldo spoke up. Bruno Fernandes' long-range shot hit the post, sending the ball to CR7 at a narrow angle. A shot in a trademark folding position that few people could do helped Ronaldo increase the score to 2-1 and balance the total score to 2-2.
Ronaldo was then substituted in the first minutes of the second extra time. He looked quite pained and tired. However, right on the bench, Ronaldo was still favored by the television camera. The film crew did not want to miss CR7's reaction in the context of Portugal being eliminated at home.
Finally, Goncalo Ramos' goal in the 115th minute untied the psychological bottleneck with Ronaldo, the Portuguese players and tens of thousands of spectators at home. Portugal has reached the semi-finals and is still hoping for a second victory in the Nations League.
This match once again raises the question of whether Ronaldo should start again or not? The decision-making power belongs entirely to captain Roberto Martinez, but it seems that the Spanish coach does not want this. At EURO 2024, Martinez only made one substitution for Ronaldo (in the match against Georgia). Throughout the tournament in Germany, Ronaldo did not score any goals, he looked like an element to fill the squad for all 11 players.
Looking at the big picture, in the last two World Cups and EURO, Ronaldo played 10 matches and only scored 1 goal on the penalty spot. After that unsuccessful tournament, CR7 has scored 5 goals in 6 matches in the Nations League group stage. If Ronaldo was put in the right match, he could shine and reduce the somewhat harsh criticism he has now.
Roberto Martinez has a lot of good strikers in hand. Having to give way to Ronaldo will reduce their chances. If they play with the 40-year-old superstar, they will not be comfortable doing what they want. It was thought that Martinez would have a different point than his predecessor Fernando Santos, but what was happening was the same. They do not dare to eliminate Ronaldo and have to have a headache with how to adapt when having CR7.
