CRISTIANO RONALDO furiously launched his captain’s armband in disgust after a late winner against Serbia was sensationally ruled out.
The Portugal icon, 36, thought he had settled a brilliant World Cup qualifier in the final seconds of the contest.
With the score tied at 2-2, Ronaldo’s volley was about to hit the back of the net when the Serb skipper Stefan Mitrovic pulled off a desperate clearance.
Ronaldo – who is just eight goals off becoming the top international scorer ever – was adamant the ball had crossed the line but the linesman opted not to flag.
Portugal’s record scorer was furious and marched over to the linesman to argue his case – but his protests fell on deaf ears.
Replays showed Ronaldo had every reason to be dismayed with the decision with multiple angles showing the ball seemingly over the line.
However, goal-line technology was NOT being used in the contest.
Ronaldo was then booked for his protests to further rub salt in the wound.
He was left raging, waving his arms in disbelief before ripping off his armband and launching it to the floor.
After the game, the skipper posted a picture of the Portuguese team with the caption: “Being captain of the Portugal team is one of the greatest privileges of my life.
“I always give and will give everything for my country, that will never change.
“But there are difficult times to deal with, especially when we feel that an entire nation is being harmed.
“Lift your head and face the next challenge now! Strength, Portugal.”
Liverpool’s Diogo Jota put Portugal in a commanding position in the first half by scoring twice after 36 minutes.
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Fulham’s Aleksander Mitrovic – who had scored an incredible lob in midweek – fired Serbia back into the contest seconds into the second half with a close-range header.
Filip Kostic then equalised on the hour mark as both teams looked for a winner in the final 30 minutes.
Serbia were forced to play the last two minutes with ten men when Nikola Milenkovic was shown a straight red card moments before the huge controversy.
The point leaves both sides undefeated after two matches following Serbia’s opening win over Ireland and Portugal’s 1-0 victory over Azerbaijan.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
