IAN WRIGHT laid into Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal star continued his abysmal free-kick record against Belgium.
Roberto Martinez’s side went through to the quarter-finals after a 1-0 win, with superstar Ronaldo on the periphery of the game.
Ronaldo’s best chance of the match came in the first-half when he fired a free-kick at Thibaut Courtois.
He hit the target but his effort was met with a strong hand from Thibaut Courtois, which means Ronaldo has still scored only one free-kick out of 50+ in major tournaments.
Wright is all too aware of that fact, and pointed out the dire record in his half-time analysis for ITV.
He said: “How many of those free-kicks does Ronaldo actually score? 1 in 50. It’s a myth that… ooh Ronaldo is on it, watch out everyone. Nothing happens.”
Patrick Vieira shared a similar sentiment, adding: “You expect Courtois to make that kind of save. If he concedes a goal in this way, he’d be disappointed with himself. But it was a good save.”
Wright then concluded: “[Courtois] has enough time to see it. Plus it’s Ronaldo, he doesn’t score many free-kicks.”
A second-half free-kick from Ronaldo was even worse, as he fired straight into the wall at a point where Portugal were growing desperate for a goal.
Set-piece specialist Bruno Fernandes was on the pitch by then as well, meaning Ronaldo’s lack of quality was bordering on selfish.
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And though Ronaldo may be the tournament’s leading scorer, none of his five goals have come from further than 12 yards.
The Juventus forward has scored three penalties, an open goal against Germany and his strike against Hungary came from inside the six-yard box.
Belgium restricted Ronaldo’s chances in the box and that was key to victory, although Raphael Guerriero almost found a way through when his shot hit the post.
Ruben Dias then had a powerful header well saved before Joao Felix struck wide with the final kick of the game.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
