da realbet： The Seleccao skipper's frustration very nearly got the better of him as he was forced to play second fiddle to another No.7
da pinup bet： Cristiano Ronaldo was meant to be the star of the show in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday, but he was completely upstaged by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who illuminated a stunning 2-0 win for Georgia over Portugal. Indeed, the two No.7s couldn't have had more contrasting nights.
A raging Ronaldo was withdrawn after only 65 minutes of play, and just seconds after one of Kvaratskhelia's team-mates had given him a little kiss on the head for drawing a foul at the end of another wondrous dribble.
When the Napoli winger eventually came off himself, he did so to a rapturous round of applause. Kvaratskhelia hadn't just opened the scoring with a well-taken finish, he'd also repeatedly run rings around Portugal in much the same way that Ronaldo used to torment opponents.
In fairness, 'Kvaradona' as he’s known in Naples had been ably supported by Georges Mikautadze, who secured Georgia's place in the last 16 of Euro 2024 – their very first major international tournament – with a penalty awarded for a foul on Luka Lochoshvili by the atrocious Antonio Silva, who was also at fault for Kvaratskhelia's second-minute opener.
Below, GOAL rates all of the Portugal players involved in a bitterly frustrating defeat for Ronaldo & Co. that casts considerable doubt on their title hopes…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Diogo Costa (5/10):
Nothing he could have done about either goal.
Antonio Silva (1/10):
An absolute horror show! First, his dreadful pass was ruthlessly punished by Kvaratskhelia, who left the highly-rated defender trailing in his wake after being released by Mikautadze. Then he gave away a penalty for a reckless swipe at Lochoshvili. Looked a broken man when he came off.
Danilo Pereira (6/10):
Passed the ball well, and recovered it several times, too. A solid showing.
Goncalo Inacio (5/10):
Won a lot of duels but also misjudged two long balls forwards, thus putting Portugal in unnecessary peril.
AdvertisementGetty Midfield
Diogo Dalot (7/10):
One of the few Portuguese players to play with the requisite urgency and determination. Also drew a couple of great saves out of Mamardashvili.
Joao Palhinha (4/10):
Taken off at half-time for the second game in a row, with Martinez electing to introduce the more attack-minded Ruben Neves with Portugal trailing at the break.
Joao Neves (5/10):
Won plenty of possession and kept the ball moving, but the talented youngster didn't really advance his claim for a starting spot. No surprise to see him eventually taken off.
Pedro Neto (4/10):
Full of running but booked for a truly embarrassing attempt to con the referee into giving him a free-kick on the edge of the area.
Getty Attack
Francisco Conceicao (4/10):
Always willing to take on his man to try make something happen but he was woefully wasteful in possession.
Cristiano Ronaldo (3/10):
Taken off before he got himself sent off. Ronaldo obviously started because he wanted to break his Euros duck, but he ended up looking the picture of frustration after seeing all his best efforts blocked, and his penalty appeals waved away. For the first time in his career, he's failed to score in the group stage of a Euros or World Cup.
Joao Felix (4/10):
Threatened with a couple of decent efforts from distance and picked out Semedo with a nice cross late on – but there was no end product. Story of his career, really.
Getty Subs & Goalkeeper
Ruben Neves (4/10):
Introduced during the break but his most notable contribution was getting booked just seven minutes after coming on.
Goncalo Ramos (5/10):
Replaced Ronaldo midway through the second half but didn't get a single chance.
Nelson Semedo (5/10):
Came on for the hapless Antonio Silva shortly after the hour mark and very nearly scored in injury-time.
Diogo Jota (N/A):
Should be absolutely outraged that he didn't start – and that he only saw 15 minutes of action.
Matheus Nunes (N/A):
Part of a double substitution with Jota and was predictably ineffective.
Roberto Martinez (3/10):
Portugal were obviously already assured of top spot but the Spaniard got his team selection all wrong. The decision not to rest a clearly jaded Ronaldo was both ridiculous and spineless, and his much-changed line-up showed a predictable lack of cohesion. This was a game that prompted more questions than answers. The main one: is Martinez capable of getting the best out of this brilliant group of players? Based on what we've seen so far, you'd have to say no.