Gary Lineker admits Cristiano Ronaldo is a weakness for Portugal and claims Bruno Fernandes faces an impossible task alongside the Portugal captain.
as Portugal squeezed through to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 with a penalty shootout win over Slovenia on Monday.
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The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star scored the opening spot kick in the shootout but only after he had seen a penalty saved in extra time by Jan Oblak, having made the game all about him.
blazed one free-kick from an impossible angle high and wide while superior set piece takers – namely Fernandes – stood and watched.
Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards agree it is time for Ronaldo to hand over some responsibility, though admit it won t be easy for Fernandes or others to wrestle it from him.
He’s got team-mates who are brilliant at free-kicks, pointed out Shearer on The Rest Is Football podcast. Richards added: It is hard say to Ronaldo, ‘I’m taking free-kicks’.
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An impossible task
Regarding Ronaldo’s poor recent free-kick record, Lineker agreed: It is almost impossible, despite the fact his record is something like one in 60 that he’s scored in tournaments.
Bruno Fernandes is a better free-kick taker and a more varied free-kick taker than Ronaldo. So while he’s [Ronaldo] a massive strength, he can also be a weakness as well.
