Ronaldo Sidelined by Controversial Foul in Portugal's Victory

 Ronaldo Sidelined by Controversial Foul in Portugal's Victory

Ronaldo Sidelined by Controversial Foul in Portugal's Victory(Image-Getty)

In an extraordinary finish, Portugal has returned with full points from the Euro Qualifiers match against Slovakia, led by Bruno Fernandes. However, even after Friday night's victory, there is unrest in the Portuguese camp.

The unrest revolves around team captain Cristiano Ronaldo. In the 62nd minute of the match, Ronaldo received a yellow card for a foul against the Slovak goalkeeper. As a result, he won't be playing in the match against Luxembourg tonight. Ronaldo's description of that foul has sparked debates over the past few days. Now, the Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, who was fouled by Ronaldo, has given his version of the incident. He stated that while the foul by Ronaldo left him anxious, he sees it from the perspective of a player.

On that day, Ronaldo had received the ball on the right side. However, he failed to take the first shot accurately. Instead, he chose to slide and attempt a ball pass. But this time, the ball didn't connect as intended. Instead, his boot made direct contact with the Slovak goalkeeper Dubravka's thigh and chest.

Immediately after this controversial incident, the referee showed a yellow card to Ronaldo. Before this match, Ronaldo had last received a yellow card while playing for Portugal in the match against Iceland, where he got a card for brushing against the goalkeeper's shoulder in the 83rd minute. Thus, he received yellow cards in two consecutive matches, attracting a lot of attention.

Martin Dubravka, however, does not want to blame Ronaldo for the foul. He views the whole incident with a player's perspective. Dubravka stated, "I am not accusing him. In football, situations like this will happen. He asked me if I was okay, which is normal. I understand it as a player. I'm keeping a clean head about it, and there's no controversy here."

Despite the foul, Dubravka recognizes Ronaldo as a sportsman, and he sees no need to make it a contentious issue. He maintains that he is focused on the upcoming game against Luxembourg and doesn't see any reason to dwell on the incident.