Portugal confirmed their Round of 16 qualification in the UEFA Euro 2024 after defeating Turkey 3-0 on Saturday to take the top spot in Group F. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo made history with his assist to Bruno Fernandes to close the game, however, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was left frustrated due to many fans invaded the pitch to meet him and disrupted the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo registered his 8th assist in the European Championship and levelled former Czech forward Karel Poborsky to become the joint-highest assist-maker in the Euros. However, a goalless game for the 39-year-old made Turkey the only nation besides Albania he had faced more but not scored a goal against.
The pitch-invading incident began with a young fan, who beat the security to meet his idol in the 69th minute. In a beautiful gesture, Ronaldo hugged the fan and posed for a selfie while smiling.
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After 15 minutes, another fan ran onto the pitch to take a selfie with Ronaldo at the Signal Iduna Park. This time the Al-Nassr captain turned his back on the fan, who tried to put his arm around Ronaldo.
A fan invaded the pitch when Ronaldo was defending a corner for Portugal and the star forward asked the officials and Turkish corner taker to continue the game while the staff members caught him and also beat the fan near the goalpost.
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After the final whistle, two more fans breached the security to meet Ronaldo and were taken down by the staff members while the Portuguese players were leaving the field.
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While Portugal won the match with a huge margin to ensure their Round of 16 qualification, Ronaldo extended his scoreless streak to 6 in his last Euro and World Cup games, marking his longest streak in major international competitions.