SAINT-ETIENNE: Cristiano Ronaldo’s probable last chance to win the European Championship is looking shaky already after Portugal were held 1-1 by the newcoming adventurers of Iceland in Group F at Euro 2016.
Portugal took an early lead through Nani but wasted other openings and paid the price when awful defending allowed Birkir Bjarnason a simple second-half equaliser.
In the last minute of stoppage time Portugal were awarded a free kick just outside the Iceland penalty box, 24m from goal. Ronaldo lined up what could been the winner but instead his shot ricocheted off the defensive wall and the referee blew the final whistle.
Iceland would have been upset had the Real Madrid superstar scored for their resilience and bravery against a technically superior team earned them the right to a draw.
Gylfi Sigurdsson almost put Iceland in front early on but his angled shot and follow-up were both saved. Then Ronaldo went close with a header which skimmed the bar and completely missed his kick as a long through ball from Pepe dropped over the top of the Icelandic defence.
Ronaldo came into the tournament refreshed and recovered from injury after a break following Real Madrid’s Champions League final triumph over Atletico de Madrid. But he missed other chances to make it a game to forget on the evening he equalled Luis Figo’s record of 127 international appearances.
Above all he had a late header saved as well as seeing his last-minute free kick foiled.
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