Holland and Austria in last-16 action, England latest, reaction to teary Ronaldo

Martinez: ‘Proud of captain Ronaldo’

Cristiano Ronaldo was praised by Roberto Martinez for teaching Portugal a ‘lesson’ against Slovenia.

Former Belgium manager Martinez opted to let the 39-year-old play the entirety of the 120 minutes in his country’s last-16 clash.

That looked to have backfired when Ronaldo saw a penalty in extra-time saved by Jan Oblak, with attacking stars Goncalo Ramos, Joao Felix, and Pedro Neto all unused substitutes.

However, Martinez was ultimately vindicated when Ronaldo shouldered the responsibility to step up first in the shoot-out.

The Portugal captain made no mistake the second time around, with his side going on to win 3-0 via spot-kicks to reach the last-eight.

“First and foremost, I think he is a constant example for us, the only player that has ever played in six European Championships,” Martinez told reporters after the game.

“He is happy taking that responsibility and has got that belief. I thanked him [afterwards] for being the way he is, for caring for the group. I was certain that he would be the first penalty taker and show us the way to take victory.

“I think we’re all very proud of our captain. Our dressing room was all delighted. I think he gave us all a lesson.

“Life and football give you difficult moments and the way he reacted shows why we are so proud in Portuguese football.”

Sheer delight

Ed Sheeran serenaded the England squad during a private performance at their Euro 2024 base.

The multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, in a video posted on TikTok, was shown performing a rendition of ‘The A-Team’ for Gareth Southgate’s squad and staff after a warm-down session on Monday.

Ipswich fan Sheeran has visited the England squad in the past and attended the dramatic 2-1 round-of-16 victory over Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.

The 33-year-old was pictured in the stand celebrating Jude Bellingham’s sensational last-gasp equaliser that kept England in the competition.

McGregor: ‘Ronaldo greatest ever’

Conor McGregor was among the sporting stars publicly showing their support for Cristiano Ronaldo in the wake of his penalty miss.

Portugal captain Ronaldo broke down in tears after seeing his spot-kick in the last-16 tie with Slovenia saved by Jan Oblak.

The 39-year-old was able to atone for his error by later scoring in the shootout as his country did enough to reach the quarter-finals.

However, the five-time Ballon d’Or’s individual wait for a record-breaking first goal at Euro 2024 continues.

UFC icon McGregor has already bet £60,000 on the former Manchester United star to win the Golden Boot despite his ongoing drought at recent major international tournaments.

Notorious was still keen to throw more support behind Ronaldo, with the pair recently alongside one another for December’s ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia.

The Irishman shared an image of the forward crying alongside the caption: “True passion for country! @Cristiano you are the greatest football player to grace this earth!

“God bless you brother! The past is glory! The present is history!”

Punished

England have been fined £10,000 by UEFA for ‘disturbances during the national anthems’ against Slovenia.

The Three Lions drew 0-0 with the Slovenians on June 25 and progressed to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 with a 2-1 (AET) win over Slovakia days later.

However, the Football Association have been hit with a £10,000 fine after fans were heard booing the Slovenia national anthem in Cologne.

On Tuesday, UEFA announced that it found England to be in breach of Article. 16 (2)(g) DR – which covers disturbances during national anthems.

Family support

Cristiano Ronaldo has been defended by his sister after criticism over his behaviour on Monday night.

The Portugal captain was in floods of tears during extra-time after missing a penalty against Slovenia.

Ronaldo then scored in the penalty shootout as Portugal scraped through to the quarter-final – but his crying has become the main talking point.

While some have commended his passion, others believe the 39-year-old is making his nation’s Euro 2024 campaign all about him.

His sister, Katia Aveiro, has taken to social media to defend Ronaldo.

She wrote: “‘Step back… win and win… you’ve always been part of it… you’re great… so proud of our team, they’re proud of you. Thank you from Ronaldo, thank you boys.”

All fun and games

Everton striker Neal Maupay has gone viral for sticking the boot into England on social media throughout Euro 2024.

The Frenchman has developed a reputation as a wind-up merchant and posted a number of tweets mocking the Three Lions.

But speaking to talkSPORT, Maupay insists he loves England deep down.

The forward said: “It’s all love. I love England, I’ve been here for a long time.

“As a fan, it must be frustrating, because when you look at the squad, England have arguably got the best squad in the tournament.

“So many good players – and it’s a bit like France – the way they play is not really fun to watch. They don’t really create chances or score goals.

“They’ve had a tough run so far, but I guess that’s from a fan perspective, and for them inside, they just want to win.

“They don’t really care about how they play, they just want to win the trophy.”