The Seleccao skipper's frustration very nearly got the better of him as he was forced to play second fiddle to another No.7
Cristiano Ronaldo was meant to be the star of the show in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday, but he was completely upstaged by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who illuminated a stunning 2-0 win for Georgia over Portugal. Indeed, the two No.7s couldn't have had more contrasting nights. A raging Ronaldo was withdrawn after only 65 minutes of play, and just seconds after one of Kvaratskhelia's team-mates had given him a little kiss on the head for drawing a foul at the end of another wondrous dribble.
When the Napoli winger eventually came off himself, he did so to a rapturous round of applause. Kvaratskhelia hadn't just opened the scoring with a well-taken finish, he'd also repeatedly run rings around Portugal in much the same way that Ronaldo used to torment opponents. In fairness, 'Kvaradona' as he’s known in Naples had been ably supported by Georges Mikautadze, who secured Georgia's place in the last 16 of Euro 2024 - their very first major international tournament - with a penalty awarded for a foul on Luka Lochoshvili by the atrocious Antonio Silva, who was also at fault for Kvaratskhelia's second-minute opener.rates all of the Portugal players involved in a bitterly frustrating defeat for Ronaldo & Co.