Cristiano Ronaldo threw one of his greatest temper tantrums yet after being denied a last-gasp winner for Portugal in their World Cup qualifier against Serbia on Saturday night.
Portugal had raced into a two-goal first half lead in Belgrade courtesy of Diogo Jota’s headed double before Serbia levelled through strikes from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Filip Kostic after the restart.
A thoroughly entertaining game – which also saw Nikola Milenkovic shown a straight red card for the hosts – had a fitting finale when Ronaldo thought he had scored a winner nine seconds before the end of stoppage time from Nuno Mendes’ raking long ball.
Ronaldo tracked the ball as it sailed over goalkeeper Marko Dimitrovic’s head before nudging it towards goal with his instep. As the ball trickled towards the line, Stefan Mitrovic slid in to scoop it away to safety before getting to his feet and blocking Bernardo Silva’s goalbound effort.
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 28, 2021Cristiano Ronaldo is FUMING! 😡
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When referee Danny Makkelie’s whistle to award the goal was not forthcoming, Ronaldo went across to remonstrate with his assistant, earning himself a yellow card for his troubles, before storming off the pitch and theatrically chucking his captain’s armband down on the floor.
Ronaldo’s reaction wasn’t quite as dramatic as his histrionics towards Nani after he nodded the ball in from an offside position to deny his teammate a superb individual goal against Spain back in 2010, but it was certainly up there as one of his most memorable.
In fairness, Ronaldo and Portugal had every right to feel aggrieved given the ball had indeed crossed the line before Mitrovic’s intervention, however, the lack of goal-line technology in place at Stadion Rajko Mitic or the use of VAR meant that Serbia were given a reprieve.
It seems counter-intuitive that technology is not being used in matches that determine which nations qualify for the biggest international tournament in the sport.
Due to the fact that not every country has a stadium equipped for the use of goal-line technology or VAR, Uefa decided to not have either in place for qualifying in order to ensure a level playing field.
Admirable as that sentiment may be, it will have come as little consolation to Portugal, who have four points from their opening two matches, rather than six.
“The referee apologised and I have great respect for him, but it is not permissible that, in a competition like this, there is no VAR or goal-line technology,” Portugal manager Fernando Santos said in his press conference.
“The ball was half a metre inside the goal, there was no obstacle between the goalkeeper and the goal line. It was very clear.
“He [the referee] apologised to me but this is not going to solve the problem. The referees make mistakes, they are human, but this is what VAR exists for.”
Ronaldo also gave his reaction to the incident in an Instagram post claiming that an “entire nation is being harmed”.
He said: “Being captain of the Portugal team is one of the greatest privileges of my life and fills me with pride. I always give and will give everything for my country, that will never change.
“But there are difficult times to deal with, especially when we feel that an entire nation is being harmed. Lift your head and face the next challenge now. Come on, Portugal!”
The 36-year-old did face criticism in his homeland for his decision to throw his armband on the floor.
“It’s clearly a goal, but Ronaldo can’t throw the armband on the ground like that,” former Portugal defender Fernando Meira said to Record.
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“Cristiano’s reaction is natural, but it’s not acceptable from the national team captain. You can’t throw the armband on the ground and head into the dressing room while the game is still going on.”
Santos defended his skipper, though, saying: “I’ve been told he did not react well. It is the normal frustration of those who score Portugal’s winning goal that did not count.”
Portugal face Luxembourg, fresh from their historic 1-0 win over Ireland on Saturday, in their next qualifier on Tuesday.
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