Hamburg (AFP)
Portugal’s Bernardo Silva has defended his national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo against criticism after he missed a penalty kick against Slovenia in the last 16 of the European Football Championship in Germany, explaining that the Al-Nassr striker’s emotional reaction was “normal.”
Ronaldo, 39, who is playing in his sixth European Championship, has struggled in the current edition and his failure to score so far has raised doubts about whether he still deserves a regular place in the Seleção’s Spanish coach Roberto Martinez’s squad.
“As far as Cristiano is concerned, we are human beings and he felt emotional when he missed the penalty. That is completely acceptable,” Silva said on the eve of Portugal’s quarter-final clash with France in Hamburg.
Portugal needed penalties to overcome Slovenia in the round of 16, after Ronaldo missed a penalty kick in the last minute of the first extra time, which was saved by goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Ronaldo succeeded in scoring the first penalty kick for Portugal, which decided the result 3-0.
Manchester City player Silva added about the missed penalty: “You want to help the team and he felt he could have done better at that moment.”
“In my opinion, it was a very good penalty (for Ronaldo) and a great save by Oblak, then he cried a little bit which is normal, this is how humans deal with emotions sometimes,” he continued.
Ronaldo, the world’s top scorer (130 goals), has failed to find the net so far this edition and has looked desperate at times, particularly with the number of failed attempts from free kicks against Slovenia.
Silva continued his defence of his national team captain and former Real Madrid star: “We do not complain about criticism. It is good and bad, it is part of the job. Everyone knows a little bit about football. When it comes to June and the World Cup or the European Championship, everyone thinks they are coaches. We understand that and we accept that.”
Meanwhile, coach Martinez indicated that Ronaldo may not necessarily take a free kick if the opportunity arises against France.
According to Opta statistics, Ronaldo has converted just one of the 60 direct free kicks he has taken in major international tournaments.
“The players train in training. Cristiano and Bruno Fernandes are the players who take responsibility, sometimes it just depends on who is best to do it or the position or the moment, but we are lucky to have players at this level,” Martinez said.
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