Cristiano Ronaldo Vs Croatia [Euro 2016] HD 720p By zBorges Croatia coach Ante Cacic said his side were punished by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 1-0 loss to Portugal.Croatia coach Ante Cacic said his side were punished by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 1-0 loss to Portugal.Croatia coach Ante Cacic said his side were punished by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 1-0 loss to Portugal.
Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny says there is much more to Portugal than Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of their Euro 2016 quarterfinal meeting in Marseille on Thursday evening.
Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who went into the tournament amid concerns over his fitness, as not at his best as Portugal drew 1-1 with Iceland and then missed a penalty in a goalless draw with Austria.
However, he provided two goals and an assist in the 3-3 draw with Hungary in the final game and was involved in the late winner when Portugal saw off Croatia 1-0 after extra time in the round of 16.
Speaking from the Poland national team camp, Arsenal goalkeeper Szczesny, who spent last season on loan at Roma, told reporters: "I would like to have Ronaldo in the Poland team, even if not in his best form, but Portugal is not just Ronaldo. They are a strong team."
He added that new Bayern Munich signing Renato Sanches is "very impressive."
Wojciech Szczesny has returned to training after injury but is unlikely to face Portugal.
Szczesny began the tournament as Poland"s first choice, but after suffering an injury against Northern Ireland in their opening Group C game he has been watching Swansea"s Lukasz Fabianski, his former Arsenal teammate, impress between the posts.
Szczesny has now returned to training but admits he is unlikely to face Portugal.
"It is difficult to say if I can go out and help the team with little more than one full training session completed," he said. "I am able to deal with the pain, but the injured muscle is not perfect yet. I just want to help the team in whatever way I can."
Dermot Corrigan is a Madrid-based football writer who covers La Liga and the Spain national team for ESPN FC. Twitter @dermotmcorrigan.
Cristiano Ronaldo atira micro da CMTV para um lago EURO 2016
The group stage of Euro 2016 was completed on Wednesday night as the Republic of Ireland made it through to the last 16 in dramatic fashion and Belgium beat Sweden in Nice.
No team managed to win all three of their group games in France, but there still were plenty of good performances and fine individual displays during the opening 36 matches of the tournament.
Here, Sportsmailtakes a look at some of the best - and most surprising - statistics so far.
Robbie Brady (left) scored late on against Italy to send the Republic of Ireland into the last 16 of Euro 2016
Cristiano Ronaldo had 30 shots in Portugal"s three group games - almost double second-placed Gareth Bale (17) and exactly three times as many as Belgium"s Kevin De Bruyne (10).
His total is also more than eight countries - Albania (29), Czech Republic (26), Slovakia (26), Turkey (26), Italy (25), Iceland (23), Sweden (23) and Northern Ireland (17).
The Real Madrid superstar has hit the target with just seven of his efforts, leaving him behind club team-mate Bale (12) but ahead of Spain"s Alvaro Morata (6) in third.
Ronaldo failed to find the back of the net as Portugal drew with Iceland and Austria, but he was back on form against Hungary on Wednesday, scoring twice as Fernando Santos" side secured a 3-3 draw to set up a last-16 clash with Croatia on Saturday evening.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores his first goal of Euro 2016 in Portugal"s 3-3 draw with Hungary on Wednesday
MOST SUCCESSFUL PASSES
Toni Kroos (Germany) -323
Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) -281
Andres Iniesta (Spain) -264
Sergio Ramos (Spain) -248
Sergio Busquets (Spain) -239
Eric Dier (England) -214
Jerome Boateng (Germany) -214
Cesc Fabregas (Spain) -210
Jordi Alba (Spain) -200
Sami Khedira (Germany) -195
KROOS KEEPS GERMANY IN CONTROL
Toni Kroos completed more passes than the entire Northern Ireland team during Germany"s 1-0 win on Tuesday, so it"s no surprise to see him out in front when it comes to Euro 2016"s pass masters.
The 26-year-old has made 323 successful passes at the tournament so far, leaving him ahead of Switzerland"s Granit Xhaka (281) and Spain maestro Andres Iniesta (264).
Eric Dier, who has been one of England"s best performers in France, is the only member of Roy Hodgson"s squad inside the top 10, having found a team-mate on 214 occasions.
However, it"s Spain who dominate this category, with five of the top 10 coming from Vicente del Bosque"s talented squad. Sergio Ramos (248), Sergio Busquets (239), Cesc Fabregas (210) and Jordi Alba (200) all feature.
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has completed more passes than any other player in the tournament so far
DRIBBLES COMPLETED
Gareth Bale (Wales) - 13
Eden Hazard (Belgium) and Vladimir Weiss (Slovakia) - 10
Kingsley Coman (France) - 9
Marek Hamsik (Slovakia), DimitriPayet (France),Dele Alli (England) and KyleWalker (England) - 8
Toni Kroos (Germany), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Wayne Rooney (England), Juraj Kucka (Slovakia),Joao Mario (Portugal), YevhenKonoplyanka (Ukraine), LedianMemushaj (Albania), Nicolae Stanciu (Romania), Marko Pjaca (Croatia) - 7
BALE IS DRIVING WALES FORWARD
Although Wales" run to the knockout stages has been a group effort, talisman Gareth Bale was instrumental as Chris Coleman"s side finished above England at the top of Group B.
The former Tottenham winger has completed more dribbles than any other player at Euro 2016 (13) - three more than Belgium"s Eden Hazard and Slovakia"s Vladimir Weiss (both 10).
England duo Dele Alli and Kyle Walker have both completed eight dribbles, while Three Lions skipper Wayne Rooney has managed seven - the same amount as Mesut Ozil and seven others.
Bale also sits joint-top of the goalscoring chart with Real Madrid team-mate Morata after netting in each of Wales" three group games.
Wales forward Gareth Bale has scored three goals in three games and completed more dribbles than anyone
Darijo Srna has had to deal with a personal tragedy during the tournament, but he hasn"t let the death of his father affect his performances for Croatia.
The Shakhtar Donetsk defender has won 10 tackles so far - the joint highest amount along with Switzerland"s Ricardo Rodriguez, Romania"s Cristian Sapunaru and Northern Ireland"s Oliver Norwood.
France midfielder Yohan Cabaye sits joint second on the list, having won nine tackles in just one match (against Switzerland), the same amount as Austria"s Florian Klein and Albania"s Mergim Mavraj.
Croatia captain Darijo Srna slides in to tackle Spain forward Nolito during his side"s 2-1 victory in Bordeaux
MOST INTERCEPTIONS
James Chester (Wales) and ThomasVermaelen (Belgium) - 13
Valon Behrami (Switzerland), Aron Gunnarsson (Iceland), AshleyWilliams Williams (Wales), JoeAllen (Wales),Pepe (Portugal), VedranCorluka (Croatia) - 9
KANTE BEING OUTDONE BY CHESTER
N"Golo Kante made a name for himself as Leicester"s midfield enforcer last season, helping Claudio Ranieri"s side to the most unlikely of Premier League titles.
And while he has been impressive for hosts France, the former Caen man has made less interceptions than Wales" James Chester, who leads the way with Thomas Vermaelen on 13 so far.
Another Welshman, Ben Davies, sits second with 12, while Czech Republic"s Roman Hubnik (11) has also managed more than the in-demand Kante.
Spain"s Gerard Pique (10), Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami (9) and Portugal defender Pepe (9) also feature in the top 10.
Wales defender James Chester, pictured in action against Russia, has made 13 interceptions at Euro 2016
Euro 2016 : Cristiano Ronaldo n"aime pas les micros
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will surely play his last international match for Sweden on Wednesday night, after confirming that he will retire from international football at the end of his Euro 2016.
If Sweden beat Belgium they will qualify for the last-16 but Ibrahimovic must know that this is unlikely. Ibrahimovic dragged his country to the Euros but even he has not looked like raising his team to the next level since they have been here.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not at the end of his international career yet, as he will surely want to stay on to play in one more World Cup should Portugal make it to Russia. But he clearly feels the same sense of frustration as Ibrahimovic, that his own individual brilliance does not translate as effectively to international tournament football as it does to the club game. Portugal are in a slightly better position than Sweden, with two points so far rather than one, but they must target a win against Hungary in Lyon on Wednesday afternoon in the hope of winning the group.
Even in his frustration Ronaldo has been a key figure in the tournament so far and yet for Ibrahimovic it was only on Tuesday, at his press conference at the Allianz Riviera stadium, that he became the story.
The last game for Sweden at the Euros will be my last game for Sweden, Ibrahimovic said. I hope it is not tomorrow. I will not play at the Olympics so I hope we go as far as possible here. Either way, I will not end disappointed. I am very proud to be captain of Sweden. Wherever I go I will always bring the Swedish flag with me and be proud of it. I will never be disappointed.
Ibrahimovic has 115 international caps and 62 goals and has dominated Swedish football for a generation. There are not many international teams who have one player who is so clearly on another level from his team-mates. Even Ronaldo plays alongside some very gifted Portuguese players, but everything that Sweden have done since Henrik Larsson retired from international football, if not before, has been about Ibrahimovic.
This is Ibrahimovics fourth European Championship and his sixth major tournament with Sweden. Even when the team has struggled he has still provided their best moments, such as his goal of the tournament volley against Ukraine at Euro 2012 or his single-handed defeat of Denmark in the two-legged play off to reach this tournament.
But this time Ibrahimovc has struggled to make any real impact on the pitch. Sweden had to win their first Group E match against the Republic of Ireland to have any chance of progressing, but they could barely threaten the Irish goal and were heading for defeat when Ciaran Clarks own goal got them back into the game. They struggled too against Italy and now Ibrahimovic must produce something very special to beat Belgium, as well as hoping that the Swedish defence can hold off Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and the rest. This story is unlikely to continue beyond tonight.
This is not as terminal a moment in the international career of Ronaldo. He is younger than Ibrahimovic, at 31, and it would certainly be a surprise if he stops playing for Portugal any time soon. But with Ronaldo there is even more of a sense of frustration at not having delivered the major trophy that his talents should have warranted.
This is Ronaldos seventh major tournament and his fourth European Championship. At the age of 19 he was part of the Portugal team that lost the final of Euro 2004 to Greece, a slip-up that they have never fully made up for. Portugal went out at the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and of Euro 2012, a match when Ronaldo missed chances to knock Spain out before not taking one of Portugals four kicks as they were beaten in the penaltyshoot-out.
It is now unlikely that Ronaldo will ever win an international tournament, but having come that close far closer that Ibrahimovic ever did there is a certain desperation to his play and conduct here in France this summer. That explains the bitterness after drawing with Iceland in Portugals first game, and his utter exasperation after missing a penalty against Austria last week, leaving Portugal stuck on two points after two Group F games.
On Wednesday Portugal play Hungary and Ronaldo will be aiming for a victory which should help to take them further through the knock-out rounds. He is not ready to say goodbye to international football, not quite yet.
Portogallo - Austria 0-0 Cristiano Ronaldo sbaglia il Rigore! Europei 2016! GIALAPPA"S!!!
Every match day during Euro 2016, The Nationals Premier League correspondent Greg Lea will break down every match and its key moments. Here is his analysis of Saturdays action in the tournament.
Portugal 0-0 Austria: Lack of clinical edge could cost Ronaldo
For the second game running, Portugal dominated proceedings and created an abundance of chances but were left frustrated after dropping two points.
Cristiano Ronaldos missed penalty stole the headlines, but there were plenty of other goalscoring opportunities passed up in open play by the Portuguese, particularly in the first half.
Fernando Santos will be pleased with how his team played against both Iceland and Austria, but they now head into the final Group F match against Hungary knowing that another slip-up could lead to their elimination.
Related: Cristiano Ronaldos historic night one to forget as Austria frustrate Portugal
Portugal have simply not been clinical enough, with their profligacy in front of goal meaning the pressure has been ramped up ahead of Wednesdays showdown.
Austria, meanwhile, have been a massive disappointment so far. Much was expected of Marcel Kollers side after an impressive qualifying campaign, but they have now been outplayed twice and find themselves bottom of the group heading into the final round of games.
Belgium 3-0 Republic of Ireland: Lukaku at the double
Belgium needed an emphatic response to their disappointing defeat by Italy last time out, and that is exactly what they delivered against the Republic of Ireland.
Two goals from Romelu Lukaku and one from Axel Witsel secured a 3-0 victory that puts the Belgians in pole position to finish as runners-up in Group E.
Read more: Evertons Romelu Lukaku finds form to kick-start Belgiums Euro 2016 campaign
This was a much-improved performance from Marc Wilmots men, who looked particularly dangerous on the counter when the Republic of Ireland had committed bodies forward.
Hitting opponents on the break could be Belgiums most successful route to goal this summer, with Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Lukaku all well suited to a counter-attacking game plan.
Question marks remain about Wilmots tactical nous and his teams coherence, but Belgium certainly have the individuals to pose a threat to the favourites in France.
Iceland 1-1 Hungary: Both sides keep dreams alive
A draw was a fair result at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, with Hungarys late leveller moving them a step closer to a place in the knockout stage.
Bernd Storcks charges dominated possession in this Group F encounter, with neat midfield interplay between Adam Nagy, Zoltan Gera and Laszlo Kleinheisler a feature of their approach once more.
Nagy was particularly accomplished on the ball, the 21-year-old showing great confidence and bravery to continually demand possession regardless of whether opponents were around him or not.
Photo gallery: Hungary, and their supporters, go wild as they near Euro 2016 last 16
Iceland also deserve credit for their defensive resolve and patience without the ball, with the smallest nation to ever compete at a European Championship content to sit deep and compact without possession before springing forward once possession changed hands.
Hungary did not create too many clear-cut chances for all of their territorial dominance, and a 1-1 draw was an accurate reflection of the game as a whole.
One match can be decisive in Golden Boot race
Alvaro Morata and Romelu Lukaku both scored twice in the last couple of days, with the duo moving to the summit of the top goalscorer standings alongside Frances Dimitri Payet, Romanias Bogdan Stancu and Wales Gareth Bale as a result.
Neither striker had found the back of the net in his sides opening encounter indeed, both men were criticised for poor all-round performances but the fact that Morata and Lukaku are now right up there in the race for the Golden Boot proves that a single game can be decisive.
Perhaps one hat-trick will be all that is needed for a player to pull away in the rankings.
Player of the day
Raphael Guerreiro was Portugals standout player, the full-back frequently pushing forward down the left flank and combining well with teammates in the final third.
Goal of the day
An own goal may seem like an odd choice for this category, but the Hungary move that led to Birkir Saevarsson turning the ball into his own net was excellent, Nemanja Nikolic, Laszlo Kleinheisler and Adam Nagy combining well down the right before substitute Nikolic sent in a tantalising cross that was pitched perfectly between the Iceland goalkeeper and defenders.
Decision of the day
Moving Kevin De Bruyne into the No.10 role was an obvious but important move from Marc Wilmots.
Howler of the day
The award of Icelands penalty was contentious, but Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly did not exactly cover himself in glory by flapping at the initial corner before Tamas Kadar collided with Aron Gunnarsson.
Moment of the day
After numerous unsavoury incidents between opposition fans in France, it was nice to see Belgium supporters applaud the Republic of Irelands national anthem before the two teams met in Bordeaux, just as they had done against Italy last Monday.
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