Euro 2020

CRISTIANO RONALDO made the odd move to change his shirt at half-time against Belgium.The Juventus star switched from long to short sleeves – but it made no difference as defending champions Portugal crashed out of Euro 2020 after a 1-0 defeat.
Cristiano Ronaldo started the game wearing long sleeves
But the forward was unhappy and changed his shirt to feel more comfortable after the break
Ronaldo came closest to scoring for his team in the first half but his free-kick was well saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Thorgan Hazard then scored a brilliant long-range effort just before the break to put Belgium in front.
And with the Red Devils on top of proceedings CR7 clearly felt a change was needed, particularly as he may have been feeling the heat in Seville.
Unfortunately for him and his team-mates the change of clothing did not do the trick – and that free-kick would turn out to be his best opportunity.
Portugal certainly improved after half-time and came close to equalising, with Raphael Guerreiro striking the post.
But Ronaldo and Portugal could not find a way past Courtois and it was Belgium who progressed to the quarter-final.
That would have come as a surprise to fans, as many felt Ronaldo meant business by changing shirts, and was likely to add to his five tournament goals – and break the all-time international goal record.
One fan wrote on social media: “Ronaldo don change shirt. 2nd half Hattrick incoming. I suiiii in advance.”

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As Ronaldo change ein shirt dier….brace loading— John Markin (@KwameBlack) June 27, 2021

Ronaldo don change shirt. 2nd half Hattrick incoming. I suiiii in advance— Big Poppa (@godwinobiakor_) June 27, 2021

Ronaldo switching to a short sleeved shirt is the equivalent of sitting forward in your seat during a game of fifa— Michael Hewitt 🇵🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@michael_oasis3) June 27, 2021

Another added in similar vein: “Ronaldo change shirt….brace loading.”
One supporter also expected more from CR7 with this analogy: “Ronaldo switching to a short sleeved shirt is the equivalent of sitting forward in your seat during a game of fifa.”
Ronaldo’s failure to find an equaliser could mean the Belgium match is the last time we will see him wear a Portugal shirt of any kind at the Euros.
And he looked enraged after the final whistle, where he was seen throwing his captain’s armband on the floor.
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CRISTIANO RONALDO has been slammed by football fans after he threw his captain’s armband to the floor as Portugal crashed out of Euro 2020.The Juventus striker was obviously fuming after the defending champs were booted out of the tournament thanks to a Thorgan Hazard rocket.
As Belgium celebrated, Cristiano Ronaldo threw his captain’s armband to the groundCredit: AFP
Ronaldo throwing the captain armband on the floor for the second time in a few months… people still call him the GOAT— Dan O’Boyle (@DLOB17) June 27, 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo has no respect for this Portugal captaincy armband , Always seems to throw it away when he gets frustrated.— Ugbedeojo #MUFC (@Certifiedopeboi) June 27, 2021

But eagle-eyed fans were unhappy with just HOW he reacted to being sent home.
Ronaldo was seen throwing the blue armband to the turf while Belgium players celebrated reaching the quarter-finals.
And people were not happy at the action.
One Portugal fan wrote on Twitter: “What’s wrong with this guy”, while another added that he is a “very rude player and not even as good as they usually hyped him”.
A Barcelona fan posted that Ronaldo ‘has no shame’ while many others called it ‘childish’.
Twitter user Ugbedeojo went straight to the point, writing: “Cristiano Ronaldo has no respect for this Portugal captaincy armband.
“Always seems to throw it away when he gets frustrated.”
Dan O’Boyle added: “Ronaldo throwing the captain armband on the floor for the second time in a few months… people still call him the GOAT.”

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The Portugal captain was clearly fuming with the resultCredit: AFP
The 36-year-old is then left to reflect on being knocked out of Euro 2020Credit: AFP
Did I see that right Ronaldo kicking the captain’s armband around in a hissy fit . 😱— jason Snell (@Jasonsnell17) June 27, 2021

Ronaldo threw the captains armband AGAIN. Zero respect for his country.— SJ (@sj76593280) June 27, 2021

The 36-year-old was fuming back in March when he was denied a winner in a game against Serbia and threw the armband then too.
Jason Snell described it as ‘a hissy fit’ while it was the ‘highlight’ of the last-16 clash for Dean Lewis.
And many were keen to add that the former Manchester United man might not have had his best game for his country.
Terry Griffiths posted: “Ronaldo kicking his captains armband like a child not getting his way.
“Must be disappointed not to have played in tonight’s game.”
Many tweeted that he went ‘missing’ from the game and was a ‘ghost’ as he side were knocked out.
Ronaldo did finish his tournament with five goals, and is the joint-leading all-time international scorer with Iran legend Ali Daei on 109.
Ronaldo looks to the heavens as his Euro 2020 tournament was endedCredit: Reuters
Ronaldo kicking his captains armband like a child not getting his way 😂Must be disappointed not to have played in tonight’s game— Terry Griffiths (@TerryGriff) June 27, 2021

I think Ronaldo is the best ever, no doubt. But throwing the captains armband when you lose? I could be wrong but I don’t think I ever saw Keano, Gerrard, Terry or Puyol do that? Hate to see it.— Joey Singleton (@Singo93) June 27, 2021

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EURO 2020 has bid farewell to Portugal hero Pepe – with Belgium just one team more than happy to see the back of the veteran defender.Sunday’s last-16 tie somewhat inevitably ended with the 38-year-old on a booking after he clattered into Thorgan Hazard in trademark style.
Pepe flashed a smile moments after getting booked versus Belgium

In the 77th minute, the former Real Madrid star wiped out Hazard and earned a yellow card for his troubles.
Fans revelled in his ‘s***house’ tactics after TV cameras picked up his beaming smile moments later.
Twitter user Ed commented: “Pepe is the single greatest s***house in all of football. You simply have to admire his supreme levels of snide.”
Jamie remarked: “Pepe 38 unreal and a classic s***house which I love.”
Zak tweeted: “Pepe absolute s***house haha got to love him nailing Hazard after the whistle has went hahaha.”
Don wrote: “He breeds violence, lol.”
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Somewhat amazingly, it was the only foul Pepe conceded and he won possession eight times – a tally only behind defensive partner Ruben Dias.
Thorgan Hazard’s first-half strike sunk the defending champions on an end-to-end night in Spain.
Porto star Pepe renewed his contract with the club until 2023 amid claims he could play until the age of 42.
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CRISTIANO RONALDO was cheered on by his son Cristiano Jr and girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez against Belgium in Seville.But the superstar did not give them much to cheer about as defending champions Portugal crashed out of Euro 2020.
Georgina Rodriguez and Cristiano Jr were in attendance at the Estadio de La Cartuja
But it did not turn out to be a happy evening as defending champions Portugal crashed out to Belgium
Rodriguez was spotted in the front row inside the Estadio de La Cartuja, with Junior, 11, by her side.
The pair could also be seen waving in the direction of the pitch, likely hoping to catch Ronaldo’s eye.
He was wearing a Ronaldo No 7 Portugal shirt but would not have enjoyed what he saw in Spain.
Ronaldo Snr went closest in the first-half with a long-range effort that was well saved by Thibaut Courtois.
That turned out to be the closest he would come.
Thorgan Hazard’s stunning strike broke the deadlock and – with Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard going off injured – were happy to sit back as the clock ticked down.
Portugal could not find an equaliser, with Raphael Guerreiro hitting hte post, Ruben Dias having a header saved by Courtois and Joao Felix hitting wide with the final kick of the game.
Portugal crashed out and an enraged Ronaldo could be seen throwing his captain’s armband on the floor at full-time.

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Cristiano jr. waves at his father

Rodriguez had shared multiple videos of her and friends singing and dancing on Instagram ahead of kick-off.
Cristiano Junior was also in attendance and performed a song while seated at a drumkit.
Rodriguez captioned the post “Let’s go Portugal”, adding “Seville has a special colour”.
She also tagged Netflix, with the streaming platform filming a documentary about Ronaldo.
The former Gucci employee has recently weighed in on her boyfriend’s future too, hinting that Ronaldo is staying put at Juventus.
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LUKE SHAW has accused Jose Mourinho of being obsessed with him.The England defender, preparing for Tuesday’s Euro 2020 last-16 clash with Germany, is stunned he is still being criticised by his former boss at Manchester United.
Luke Shaw has accused Jose Mourinho of being obsessed with himCredit: Getty
The Man Utd left-back is currently starring for England at Euro 2020Credit: AFP
Mourinho criticised Shaw for his “dramatically bad” and “poor” set-pieces in the 1-0 win over Czech Republic.
Shaw, 25, said: “There is no hiding that we didn’t get on. It is time to move on. I am trying to move on but, obviously, he can’t.
“Hopefully he can find his peace with that and finally move and stop worrying about me. Clearly I am in his head a lot and he clearly thinks about me a lot.
“I don’t really understand it, to be honest. I don’t know why he is still going on and wanting to point at me. I don’t feel like the set pieces were as bad as he was saying.
“I might have done one in the second half, a corner that didn’t get over the first man.
“But that was one out of three. The other two or three, I don’t think, were as ‘dramatically bad’ as he says. Look, he has got to do his job. He has got his opinion.
“I am used to him saying negative stuff about me now, so I just pass it by. I leave it be, I ignore it. I just focus on what the coaching staff say here, what Gareth says and that’s that, really.”

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Mourinho is a SunSport columnist during Euro 2020.
And speaking to our sister radio station talkSPORT after the win over the Czechs, Mourinho said: “The negative thing I would say is once more they were very poor on attacking corners.
“The service was dramatically bad. They have so many good players to attack corners. The crosses are not passing the first man.
“Luke Shaw, in my opinion, very good tonight but very poor on the corner. Kalvin Phillips, the same.”
And Shaw revealed he has even been quizzed by some of his England team-mates over Mourinho’s criticism.
He said: “He is different with different players. He likes some, he doesn’t like others.
‘I think I fell into the category where he didn’t like me. I tried as hard as I could to get back on to his good side but it never worked out, no matter what I did.
“He continuously talks about me, which I find quite strange. Even some of the lads have said ‘what’s his problem?’ And ‘why does he keep talking?’ He just needs to move on. He likes to talk a lot about me, as everyone has seen.
The defender says it was no secret he and the Portuguese coach did not get on at Man UtdCredit: Getty
Luke Shaw also insisted that it was time to ‘move on’Credit: The Sun
“He can say what he wants. I will focus on myself. I will listen to what Gareth has to say.
“I don’t think any of you realise the two or three years I had with him and how bad it was then, what it was like then.
“What he says now is nothing compared to how it used to be. I am being honest. I am so past it now. I have grown up a lot. The three years I had with him, I learnt a lot.
“I find it easy to ignore him now and even laugh about it. But it’s better just to ignore it.”
Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of Shaw’s arrival at Manchester United in a £33million move from Southampton
Under current Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the left-back has flourished to force his way back into the England team.
He has started their last two Euros games and is set to keep his place against Germany.
Equally, he still feels the criticism from Mourinho that could have hurt his career. Shaw added: “I think it can have an effect but the way he was with me, that was him and he had his personal agenda.

“But everyone I had around me at the club was fully with me 100 per cent, so whatever went on between me and him was our own thing. But around the club with the chairman and everything like that, they all supported me fully.
“So I felt the backing from the club, but not the manager, but I knew I would be able to outlast him and I can just focus on getting better.”
Shaw’s first game under Southgate came against Germany in a 1-0 loss in 2017.
He has only played five matches since, bringing his overall tally to 12 — but he looks in good shape ahead of a fascinating knockout clash.
Asked what it would mean to beat Germany, Shaw said: “It would feel unbelievable. Not just for us as players, but for the whole nation.
“What’s happened in the past is the past, but us as a team want to create our own story and you know a perfect way to start that is by hopefully beating Germany and setting a tone for the rest of the tournament.
“I feel like you should always put pressure on yourself because you want to perform at your highest level and be at your best.
“There is no difference to England than with your club.
Luke Shaw is desperate to start for the Three Lions against Germany at WembleyCredit: The Sun
“It’s a different scenario in the knockout rounds, you lose, you’re out. You’ve got to put pressure on yourself to be at your best and especially in games like this you need to be at your best to try to help us qualify for the next round.”
Should an England team finally floor the Germans, the draw could open right up for the Three Lions like it did at the World Cup in Russia three years ago.
Shaw added: “The opportunity is massive but I think every team or every game in this competition is going to be very hard. We just need to take it game-by-game.
“We’ve got to try and ignore the fact of what’s coming up in the next round because this game is massive and there’s no denying that Germany are a quality team.
“We need to be at our absolute best to be able to beat them.”
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JUDE BELLINGHAM will be celebrating on Tuesday regardless of the result at Wembley.On the day England look to overcome Germany in the last-16 at Wembley, Bellingham turns 18.
Jude Bellingham will be jumping for joy on Tuesday, with the England starlet turning 18Credit: Rex
And on this special birthday he will also have his contract at Borussia Dortmund extended by a further two years until 2025.
It is remarkable that Bellingham, who played 36 times for Dortmund last season, is already preparing for what would be his seventh senior cap tomorrow.
Over in Germany, there has been much discussion over Gareth Southgate’s refusal to give Bundesliga golden boy Jadon Sancho a single minute until the dying stages of their final  group match.
In contrast, Bellingham has already made two appearances as a substitute and is likely to play some part against the Germans tomorrow.
It is clear that Southgate trusts Bellingham, perhaps more than he does Sancho.
Even when Sancho has played for the national team, he has generally struggled to make an impression.
Bellingham was handed his England debut against Ireland in a 3-0 win at Wembley in November.
His first start — and his third appearance — came in the 1-0 win over Austria in a warm-up at Middlesbrough earlier this month.

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He was an 82nd-minute sub for Harry Kane in the opening 1-0 Euros win over Croatia but remained on the bench for the 0-0 draw with Scotland.
With England protecting a 1-0 lead against the Czech Republic in their final Group D game, Bellingham was a 68th-minute introduction for Jack Grealish.
There is an outside chance Southgate could switch to a back three tomorrow and in this system, Bellingham may start alongside Declan Rice.
It is only 11 months since he signed for Dortmund in a deal worth £30million from his boyhood club Birmingham, where he played 44 times.
Manchester United attempted to sign him and even wheeled out Sir Alex Ferguson and Eric Cantona in a bid to lure him to Old Trafford.
Bayern Munich also made a late attempt to capture Bellingham and offered more money, but Dortmund was seen as the ideal club to further his career. It has certainly proved to be the right choice. 
The star will be hoping to celebrate his birthday by helping England beat GermanyCredit: Getty
Dortmund team-mate Sancho, 21, said yesterday: “The kid is mature. I think everyone can notice that, but he deserves it.
“He’s been working extremely hard at Dortmund, especially his first training session — you could tell already that he was ready to ball out in Germany.
“The sky’s the limit for Jude. Being at a major tournament for England is a very big thing and, as you can see, he’s doing his role for the team.
“He deserves it. If he keeps on doing well then he can reach the top.”
Despite interest from Chelsea this year, Bellingham is going nowhere.
Like Dortmund team-mates Sancho and Gio Reyna before him, a clause in his contract will be activated when he turns 18 tomorrow.

His current wages of £50,000 a week are now likely to go up.
With Sancho set to join Manchester United, striker Erling Haaland will stay at Dortmund and probably land a massive move next summer.
With the club unlikely to sell more than one star player per season,  Bellingham looks sure to remain in Germany until he is in his early 20s.
But right now, his priority is to mark his birthday with the win over Germany which would send the Three Lions into the quarter-finals.
Bellingham’s impact, considering his age, has been remarkable. Equally, this is only just the start.
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