The group stage of Euro 2024 drew to a close on Wednesday evening, and fans were treated to one of the biggest stunned in international football history.
Georgia, playing in their first ever major tournament, beat Portugal 2-0 to secure a place in the last-16 as the best third-place team.
Ronaldo was upset when he was taken off in the 66th minute
Although angry, Ronaldo still shook hands with coach Martinez
The Portuguese striker was not happy when he could not play the entire match
In the first half, Ronaldo received a yellow card for a reaction error
Georgia impressed in their opening day 3-1 defeat to Turkiye and their subsequent 1-1 draw with Czechia, but it looked like they would bow out of Euro 2024.
The side ranked 74th in the world had other ideas though, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Euro 2024 top goalscorer Georges Mikautadze scoring to claim a famous victory.
Napoli star Kvaratskhelia – nicknamed ‘Kvaradona’ by fans – scored inside the first two minutes, before Mikautadze scored from the penalty spot.
In-between those two moments, Georgia alternated between resolute defending and quick counter-attacks, but as the game wore on they had to dig deep to keep Portugal at bay.
Portugal’s struggles were such that talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted by Roberto Martinez with 25 minutes left to play.
The 39-year-old clearly wasn’t happy with his manager’s decision, but his reaction was nothing compared to what happened at the full-time whistle.
Footage uploaded to X by @losblancoszone showed Ronaldo head towards the tunnel, grab his shirt dramatically and gesticulate in frustration.
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY – JUNE 26: Cristiano Ronaldo (7) of Portugal reacts during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group F football match between Georgia and Portugal at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Emin Sansar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It’s not clear who the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star was aiming his frustration at, but the shirt-grabbing gesture might have been in reference to a penalty appeal he had waved away.
In the first half Ronaldo felt that his shirt was tugged in the penalty area, but referee Sandro Schaerer waved play on before booking the Portugal captain for his protestations.
Ronaldo didn’t look good in the post-match footage that was captured from the stands, especially considering that he had been publicly expressing his dissatisfaction and whining to the officials for the majority of the game.
Even though Portugal had already won Group F, Ronaldo didn’t seem to want to congratulate Georgia on their incredibly remarkable accomplishment.
Portugal will face Slovenia in the round-of-16 in Frankfurt on Monday
