Ronaldo snatches the microphone and the reporter shows little fight as he prepares to launch it into a lake. PHOTO/DM.
LYON, France June 22 – Cristiano Ronaldo has cut a frustrated figure at Euro 2016 this summer with Portugal yet to win a game and facing the prospect of elimination at the group stage.
On Thursday, it seemed the star had reached boiling point as he grabbed a microphone from a reporter and launched it into a lake.
Clearly irked by questions ahead of Portugal’s final group match against leaders Hungary, the Real Madrid forward snatched the mic and threw it before continuing his walk with team-mates.
It is understood Fernando Santos’ men were enjoying a morning stroll around the lake behind their hotel in Linas-Marcoussis when the journalist approached and asked Ronaldo, in Portuguese, the seemingly innocuous question: ‘Are you ready for the game today?’
The Portugal star was clearly in no mood for talking and made his feelings known by launching the mic before continuing his walk and looking straight ahead.
Ronaldo was a figure of ridicule on Saturday from football fans across Europe as he missed a penalty against Austria days after claiming Iceland had a ‘small mentality’.
The 31-year-old launched an astonishing attack on the Euro 2016 minnows after the tournament outsiders held Portugal to a 1-1 draw in their opening Group F fixture.
Ronaldo only shook the hand of one opponent before leaving the field after last week’s game and accused Iceland of not trying to win.
Ronaldo said: ‘I thought they’d won the Euros the way they celebrated at the end, it was unbelievable.
‘When they don’t try to play and just defend, defend, defend this, in my opinion, shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition.
‘We just try our best, keep the ball all the time and Iceland didn’t try anything, they were just ‘defend, defend, and defend’ and were playing on the counter attack.
READ: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/euro2016/article-3654103/Cristiano-Ronaldo-throws-journalist-s-microphone-lake-frustrated-questioning-Portugal-team-stroll.html
Five days later, Ronaldo stepped up to take a late spot-kick for Portugal but saw his effort cannon off the post as Portugal had to settle for a goalless draw and just two points from two games.
Portugal will be looking to claim all three points at the Stade des Lumieres in Lyon in a bid to land themselves an ‘easier’ route to the final.
Ronaldo and Co will face England if they finish in second place and could face Croatia if they remain third.
However, should Austria beat Iceland and Portugal lose, goal difference will determine their fate and they could be on the plane home by Friday.
