Ronaldo knew Portugal would progress despite missing penalty
Cristiano Ronaldo has said he knew that Portugal would progress to the UEFA Nations League semifinals even after missing a penalty.
Visit SportsMania for more football news and updates.
Check out M88 Mansion’s best offers here.
Ronaldo knew Portugal would progress
The Portugal captain had his early penalty saved by Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
However, Ronaldo’s side still secured a 5-2 victory after extra time in Lisbon.
The win saw Portugal progress 5-3 on aggregate to set up a semifinal clash with Germany.
“I felt that even after missing the penalty — [it happens] only to those who try — we would progress in the tie,” Ronaldo told reporters.
“That’s what happened. It was a spectacular night, Portugal played very well; scoring five goals against Denmark is not easy at all. We all deserve congratulations: the players, those who were at the stadium, all the Portuguese. We are all in the same boat and it was very important to progress to the final four.”
“There are bad days”
Ronaldo, the men’s all-time leading international scorer with 136 goals and the world record holder for most appearances at 219, redeemed himself for his missed penalty on Sunday by scoring his team’s second goal.
The Al-Nassr forward criticized Portugal’s performance in last Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Denmark in the first leg in Copenhagen but was quick to defend his teammates.
“There are games like that, there are bad days,” Ronaldo, 40, said after that defeat.
“I didn’t play at all, the team didn’t play at all, but it’s part of life. I want to leave the [Lisbon’s] Alvalade Stadium with my head held high.”
Portugal have won 20 and lost just four of their 28 games under coach Roberto Martinez.
