Former Portugal
international Fernando Meira has criticized Cristiano Ronaldo for his explosive
reaction after his winner for Portugal was disallowed. Ronaldo's goal clearly crossed the line despite Aleksandar
Mitrovic getting back to clear the ball, but referee Danny
Makkelie waved play on after consulting
with his linesman, sending the five-time Ballon d'Or winner into untold rage.
Alas, there was no VAR or goal-line
technology to check the call. The
36-year-old threw his captain's armband down and stormed off the pitch
after seeing the goal chalked off, with the match ultimately ending 2-2.
"It's
a clear goal, but Ronaldo cannot throw Portugal's captain's armband on the
floor," said
Meira, who has 54 Portugal caps.
"Cristiano's
reaction is natural but unacceptable for the captain of the national team. You
cannot throw the captain's armband on the floor and go towards the changing
room while the game is still going on.
"It's
not acceptable for a player of his importance. I understand his frustration and
I agree with him because the goal was valid, but the referees are the ones that
have to make decisions, without VAR, and he has to set an example. And
yesterday's was not one to follow."
The
Portugal coach was less concerned with the Portugal captain's reaction.
"I
don't know what happened, I was told he reacted badly. It's the normal
frustration of someone who scores the winning goal for Portugal and it doesn't
count. I will not go into it any further," Santos said.
"The
referee apologized and told me that he was ashamed. I was in the changing room
with him and he apologized. He told me on the pitch that he was going to look
at the images and if it was the case, he would call me to apologize ... and
that's what he did."
Ronaldo
had his sisters' comfort to count on as they posted messages of support for
their brother on Instagram.
"This
is what is called love for your country, love for your jersey," Katia Aveiro said on
Instagram.
Comments
Post a Comment