Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the greatest players the footballing world has ever seen. His efforts have made Portugal a well-respected country in the sporting world. Portugal is going strong in the EURO Qualifiers of 2023. They are on an unbeatable streak winning all five of their previous games, and keeping a clean sheet in all of them.
CR7 has been an important part of the team all along, but the Portuguese captain will miss the next EURO Qualifier match against Luxembourg because of what happened in the last game against Slovakia. Martin Dubravka, the victim of the incident has recently opened up about how horrible it was during the moment.
Martin Dubravka recalls Cristiano Ronaldo’s horrible tackle during Portugal vs Slovakia
Portugal faced Slovakia on 9 September 2023. Midfielder Bruno Fernandes scored a goal in the 43rd minute giving Portugal a one-goal lead which they kept till the end of the match. A total of three yellow cards were issued in that game and one of them had Cristiano Ronaldo’s name written over it.
Martin Dubravka being kicked in the face by a former work colleague. Red card surely. pic.twitter.com/nEWYQgHEC2
— NUFCThreatLevel (@NUFCThreatLevel) September 8, 2023
In the 62nd minute of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo received a pass from Bernardo Silva in the heart of the penalty box. Unfortunately, Ronaldo failed to make contact with the ball and it went rolling towards Slovakian keeper Martin Dubravika. Cristiano slid studs first towards the ball hoping to double the lead but caught the keeper instead.
Dubravik opened up about the incident saying that the Portuguese hit him in the shoulder, neck, and chest. The keeper told the media that he closed his eyes at the moment: “I just closed my eyes and prayed that Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t hit me in the face as well.”
Although Cristiano’s actions were dangerous and unnecessary the keeper still does not blame him “I don’t blame him, it’s a sport, it’s football situations like this belong to it” he said.
Cristiano Ronaldo to miss Portugal’s European Championship qualifier match vs Luxembourg
Cristiano Ronaldo was lucky to escape a red card, but this was his third yellow in his last five games. According to the rules, a player who receives three yellow cards has to be suspended for one match. Thus, Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s next match against Luxembourg.
Portugal and Luxembourg will face each other on 12 September 2023. Last time, the match ended with a score of 6-0 in favor of Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace in that game. The player has scored 11 goals in the 11 times Portugal faced Luxembourg, but that streak will end now.
Portugal currently sits at the top of the table with 15 points and losing their next match will not affect them. The team will still give their best and try to capitalize on their lead.
