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Portugal will be able to score even more points if it leaves a free kick to a player other than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal won the penalty shootout 3-0 against Slovenia in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 at Frankfurt Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, on the 2nd (Korea time). Portugal are struggling to reach the quarterfinals and face France.
It was also superstar Ronaldo who became the talk of the town compared to Diogo Costa, who showed three consecutive saves in the shootout. In the first half of extra time, Ronaldo shed tears after missing a penalty shot earned by Diogo Jota.
Before the second half of extra time, Portugal coach Robert Martinez gathered the squad and instructed, and Ronaldo burst into tears. Diogo Dalot, who is a long junior, was caught on camera comforting Ronaldo.
Despite missing the penalty, Ronaldo did his bit as Portugal's No. 1 kicker in the shootout. After making the penalty shootout, Ronaldo bowed his head as he offered an apology to his fans with his hands together. If Portugal had failed to advance to the quarterfinals, Ronaldo would not have been able to sleep.
Ronaldo has attempted as many as 20 shots since the start of the Euro, but has failed to score in the past four games. Ronaldo is the player who has attempted the most shots among the scoreless players in this tournament. There is evidence that Ronaldo has aged.
In addition, England's The Sun criticized Ronaldo's serious free-kick ability. In the match against Slovenia, Ronaldo was in charge of free kicks. He took the 3rd free kick, and the 1st was slightly above the net, the 1st was saved by Jan Oblak, and the 1st flew above the sky.
As a result of The Sun's understanding, Ronaldo has attempted free kicks 60 times in major competitions he has participated in throughout his career, but has scored only one goal. In other words, the success rate is only 1.7%. Ronaldo's only major free-kick goal came against Spain at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Ronaldo was once the top free-kicker who used a free-kick without a turn. Not now, but he scored a much better free kick than Lionel Messi. He also made numerous free-kick highlights. However, at some point, Ronaldo's shots were more likely to fly high in the sky or get caught by a defensive wall.
The free kick kicker, who can score only one goal in 60 attempts, should let go of his kick greed for the team. Portugal has many good free-kick kickers such as Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, Hoobeng Neves and Joao Neves. Nevertheless, Portugal are watching Ronaldo's unexpected turn of events.
No player is greater than a team. Since the mid-2010s, the importance of set pieces has become increasingly important day by day. A free kick obtained near the goal has a very high probability of scoring. Portugal, however, has not been able to put down a kicker that has a 1.7% success rate, perhaps to protect Ronaldo's pride. It is not the right path for Portugal.
rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com
