Sadio Mane praised his Al-Nassr teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, after Ronaldo missed a penalty for Portugal against Slovenia, emphasizing that he remains “a great champion.”
Ronaldo’s penalty was saved by Jan Oblak in extra time, with the match still scoreless. The missed opportunity left Ronaldo emotional, and he was seen crying at halftime during extra time. Despite this, his teammates supported him, and Portugal eventually advanced to the quarterfinals. Ronaldo redeemed himself by scoring in the penalty shootout, with many, including Mane, expressing their support for him.
Mane, who transferred to Al-Nassr from Bayern Munich a year ago, said: “You remain a great champion.”
Ronaldo’s only major international victory with Portugal was at the Euros eight years ago. Now in the twilight of his career, he was devastated by the initial miss. Reflecting on the moment, Ronaldo said, “Even the strongest people have their bad days. I was at rock bottom when the team needed me the most.”
He added, “Sadness at the start is joy at the end. That’s what football is. Moments, inexplicable moments. I feel sad and happy at the same time. But the important thing is to enjoy it. The team did an extraordinary job. We fought right to the end and I think we deserved it because we had more authority.”
While Ronaldo is a key figure for Portugal, it was goalkeeper Diogo Costa who stood out by saving three Slovenian penalties, easing Portugal’s path to victory. Costa said, “We all know that Cristiano is the hardest worker. I understand how frustrated he is because he devotes all his time to this. It’s a pleasure and an honour to be on the same team as him. We’re a family, I really think this. I focus on making the best of these chances and I wanted to help the team. This is the most important thing. This is probably the best game of my life.”
Ronaldo, known for his penalty-taking prowess, has scored many crucial penalties, including the winner in the Champions League final eight years ago. Despite his miss on Monday night, it did not cost Portugal the match.
