Ronaldo thought he was going crazy after his big mistake. But then he broke another record. We played better than the Slovenians, he said

Although he created a big mistake with a missed penalty and for a while he thought he was going crazy, the star Ronaldo was able to celebrate in the end. In the 1:0 penalty shootout win over Slovenia. …the 39-year-old goal scorer set another record. We played better than our opponents, he said after the game.

The Slovenian wall, led by the bulletproof Jan Oblak, resisted the Portuguese attacks for a very long time. Not even Ronaldo’s penalty in extra time, which was brilliantly saved by the Atlético Madrid goalkeeper, broke it. For the first time in the championship, the lottery was decided by a penalty shootout.

And in it, Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa was the best for a change. The 24-year-old caught all three of his opponent’s attempts, so Portugal only needed a trio of shooters to advance. First Ronaldo made amends for his earlier mistake, then Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva scored.

At 39 years and 147 days,Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest player in history to convert a penalty in a European Championship shootout. Once again he showed his immense mental strength. To stand up moments after a missed penalty for another one, and in such a situation, is astonishing.

Man of the match Costa, what did Ronaldo say after Slovenia?

“It was difficult, but that’s football. The Slovenians defended well, they are very strong. But Portugal won because we played better, had more chances and deserved to be in the quarter-finals,” the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player told uefa.com after the game.

The man of the match was logically Diogo Costa. The 24-year-old didn’t have that much to do during the match, but in extra time he brilliantly dispatched a free-kick by Šešek, who took advantage of Pepe’s mistake. Costa’s biggest moments came in the shootout.

“He saved us. There are moments that can’t even be explained. When I missed the first penalty, I thought I was going crazy, I was sad. I messed up the shot, it doesn’t happen often. Now I’m absolutely happy. That’s football,” Ronaldo added.

Portugal are now heading to the quarter-finals, but they have a really big task ahead of them. This Friday, Roberto Martinez’s charges will challenge a strong France. The game will be played in Hamburg.

Source: ČT Sport, UEFA.com