Cristiano Ronaldo fails to impress in 200th appearance for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo failed to steer his side to victory over Scotland in the Nations League as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw.
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Cristiano Ronaldo had zero goal contributions vs Scotland (Via X/@ScotlandNT)
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in top form for both club and country up until the international break. The 39-year-old took center stage for Portugal as they took on Scotland in the Nations League on Tuesday. The No.7 marked his 200th appearance for Portugal as the two sides played out a nervy 0-0 draw at Hampden Park.
Even though Ronaldo failed to get on the scoresheet, the player was involved in proceedings throughout the game. In the 90 minutes he played, the forward managed just one shot on target and completed 23 passes.
Several fans mocked the player for his mediocre display on the same night rival Lionel Messi bagged a hat-trick. Ronaldo also made a hilarious blunder during the game when he ended up accidentally kicking the ball to an opposition player for a free-kick.
He was also rather frustrated and angry at the match official at full-time, as captured by the cameras. Ronaldo was also criticized for his lack of clinical finishes alongside Diogo Jota.
Portugal held by resilient Scotland in Nations League
Many expected Portugal to grab all three points as they took on Scotland in the Nations League in an exciting clash in Group 1 of League A. Throughout the game, Scotland threatened to score, as headers and shots from point blank luckily went unpunished as they landed in Diogo Costa‘s grasp.
Many even opined on social media that Scotland deserved to win the game and would’ve taken home all three points if it was for clinical finishing. Cristiano Ronaldo in particular missed several chances as his shots flew high and wide of the target. More importantly, fans also noticed that Portugal started playing well when head coach Roberto Martinez took off Francisco Conceicao, Jota and Joao Palhinha.
Even though Roberto Martinez stressed that Ronaldo doesn’t play like a 39-year-old, fans on social media appeared to disagree. Many believe that the player should hang up his boots prior to the 2026 World Cup and not hold them back anymore. Ronaldo has scored 6 goals and set up another two in seven games this season for Al-Nassr. The player recently hit 133 international goals against Poland.
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Sherwin Shaju
(1306 Articles Published)