In the FIFA World Cup qualifier on Saturday, Portugal held 2-2 by Serbia after a last-minute goal from Cristiano Ronaldo was denied, which left him furious. Ronaldo threw his captain’s armband and left the pitch before the full-time whistle to express his frustration over the incident.
In the injury time, Ronaldo guided the ball towards the goal but Serbian defender Stefan Mitrovic with his sliding effort cleared the strike but at that time the ball was already inside the goal. However, Dutch referee Danny Makkelie denied the call as Ronaldo received the yellow card for his animated behaviour.
Several TV replays proved that it was a goal but due to no goal-line technology and VAR, Portugal were robbed of the victory.
Meanwhile, Portugal took an early advantage into the game with Diogo Jota’s strike in the 11th minute. The Liverpool forward struck another goal in the 36th minute to give Portugal a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Serbia made a stunning comeback in the second half, Aleksandar Mitrovic netted their first goal in the 46th minute to decrease the lead. While Filip Kostic scored an equalizer in the 60th minute.
Portugal were rusty in the second-half as Serbia finished the game with more shots in the game – 16.
After the match, Ronaldo posted an explosive message on Instagram and said the entire nation is being harmed.
“Being captain of the Portugal team is one of the greatest sources of pride and privileges of my life. I always give and will give everything for my country, that will never change. But there are difficult times to deal with, especially when we feel that an entire nation is being harmed. Lift your head and face the next challenge now!” Ronaldo wrote in Portuguese on his Instagram account.
