Ronaldo stepped up to take a shot, but his effort was blocked by Jan Oblak. This disappointing turn of events caused Ronaldo to break down in tears. His teammates provided words of encouragement as Portugal headed into the second period of extra time.

Ronaldo’s mother was also seen crying in the stands, illustrating the depth of emotions involved. Former Portugal teammate Jose Fonte commented on Ronaldo’s emotional nature, explaining that he feels the game deeply and the miss would undoubtedly affect him. However, Ronaldo later redeemed himself during the penalty shootout, lifting his arms in apology to the crowd after scoring.

Pundit Alan Shearer praised Ronaldo’s composure and courage during this critical moment. Slovenia’s first three penalty kicks were saved by Diogo Costa, ultimately leading to Portugal’s victory when Bernardo Silva scored the winning penalty. Despite a difficult evening with missed free-kicks and emotional moments, fans rallied to support Ronaldo and expressed sympathy for his visible emotions.

Following their success in the penalty shootout, Ronaldo and his teammates set up a quarter-final match with France, a rematch of the 2016 final where Ronaldo’s emotions were again on display. This match had seen him stretchered off after an injury, yet he returned to guide his team to victory.