For all the goals, accolades, and magical moments Ronaldo has created in his 20-year-long career, the Portuguese footballer cannot be the main man in every game. Such was evident in the match against Slovenia where his shortcomings surfaced at the top while his side produced a lackluster showing, which resulted in Portugal eventually losing the friendly 0-2 to Slovenia.
Ronaldo certainly wasn’t happy with his team’s result as he could be seen throwing his arms up in the air while walking toward the locker room after the final whistle.
Cristiano Ronaldo was not pleased at full-time… #SLOPOR #CR7 #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/vq7O91vlZI— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) March 26, 2024
Cristiano Ronaldo sat out Portugal’s previous international friendly against Sweden on March 22. The Portuguese squad was phenomenal in that match as they outscored the Swedish side 5-2 to secure an 11th straight win under the management of Roberto Martinez. With the team eyeing a 12th consecutive victory, their all-time leading goalscorer was deployed against Slovenia but it didn’t quite work out in Portugal’s favour.
In the game, Portugal were completely outplayed by their opponents despite boasting a star-studded line-up. They conceded a couple of goals towards the end of the second half that saw Slovenia pick up a comfortable win.
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Cristiano Ronaldo was barely able to contribute anything in the match, managing just one shot from open play. The shimmy strike that flashed just wide of the post was the only sign of life the Portuguese star showed in the game. For the rest of the game, he spent more time just looking for fowls and complaining to the officials.
The first half was drab as both Portugal and Slovenia remained goalless at the end of 45 minutes.
Things started to open up in the second half as Benjamin Sesko forced a save out of Portugal’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the net. It was Adam Gnezda Cerin who stepped up at the crucial hour for Slovenia by making a smart run in the midfield and finishing his attempt off with a well-constructed goal for the hosts.
Portugal tried to respond as Joao Felix pinged a header but it bounced off the post. Timi Elsnik then doubled Slovenia’s lead from a tricky angle while also putting an end to Portugal’s 11-game winning streak.