Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is filmed taking hold of a news reporter’s microphone and throwing it into a lake while out walking with teammates.
Advertisement
The Real Madrid striker’s brace in Portugal’s 3-3 draw with Hungary didn’t improve the testy superstar’s mood.
Video of the incident shows the reporter asking: “Ronaldo, ready for the game today?”
“We failed do to that, but we hit the bottom line because we wanted to qualify”, Ronaldo said.
He criticised Iceland for having a “small-time mentality” after a 1-1 draw and then missed a penalty in the goalless stalemate with Austria.
Hungary won the group with five points and will play Belgium, which beat Sweden 1-0, on Sunday. “He has shut them all up now”.
Croatia has shown a much better form, and should be the favorite in the match, but the Portuguese team has a lot more quality than they displayed in the group stage. Iceland have advanced in unbeaten fashion, winning one and drawing two of their three Group F games, and will now face England in the next round.
In the end, Portugal finished behind them and only progressed as one of the best third-placed sides – something that brought a wry smile to Bjarnason’s face.
Portugal boss Fernando Santos sent on Ricardo Quaresma, who had been left out of the starting line-up, and with virtually his first touch he provided a ideal cross for Ronaldo to head in yet another equaliser.
The first of Balazs Dzsudzsak’s two goals, a deflected free kick, put Hungary back in front in the 47th minute.
Storck acknowledged the triple World Player of the Year was bound to rediscover his scoring touch after a couple of tepid performances against Iceland and Austria.
Bjarnason provided the cross for fellow substitute Arnor Ingvi Traustason to score the victor, which secured the country of just 330,000 people a last-16 tie with England on Monday.
In the heat and humidity of Lyon, France, the pent-up frustration simmering inside Ronaldo after two goalless games was visible to one and all.
“I’ve always supported England in big global tournaments, it’s a dream come true”, he said.
Advertisement
“We had a very good history in the 1950s and 60s but this is a bygone era and I want to talk about this team who earned their berth in the Euro 2016 knockout stages”.
