Portugal – Slovenia: The day Ronaldo meets Oblak again

It’s a pity for Cristiano Ronaldo that he still hasn’t been able to score at this year’s Euro, even though all three opponents in the group stage are rated lower than Portugal. And now, in the round of 16, Ronaldo will meet Jan Oblak again – the goalkeeper and captain of Slovenia, and also the goalkeeper that CR7 often scored against when he was at Real Madrid.

Ronaldo has yet to score a goal at Euro 2024. Photo: Goal
Portugal finished the group stage with 6 points after 2 wins and 1 loss. The loss to Georgia in the final round was not a big deal, as coach Roberto Martinez fielded the B team because they were already in first place. The most regrettable thing for Portuguese fans in general and Ronaldo in particular is that CR7 has not been able to score in 3 matches.

In fact, Ronaldo had a very clear opportunity to enter his own name on the electronic board. It was a confrontation with the goalkeeper in the match against Türkiye. But he played with his teammates when he passed horizontally, setting the ball for Bruno Fernandes. Now, having entered the knock-out round with a direct knock-out nature, no opponent is comfortable. Slovenia of course cannot give up easily even though it is rated much lower than the “European Selecao”. But standing in their wooden frame is Jan Oblak – an “old friend” of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo will meet Oblak again in the match against Slovenia. Photo: BeSoccer
When he was still playing for Real Madrid, perhaps the opponent who “resented” CR7 the most was the team in the same city – Atletico Madrid. Atletico was always defeated by Real when they were on the threshold of paradise, especially in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals. As for Ronaldo, he is truly a “fiend” of the red and white half of Madrid. . In total, Ronaldo scored 25 goals against Atletico, of which Jan Oblak was the one standing in the wooden goal 11 times. Of those 11 goals, the most painful were the two hat-tricks. One was a hat-trick in La Liga on November 20, the other hat-trick came in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, all in the 2016-17 season.

When he moved to Juventus, Ronaldo continued to instill fear in Oblak. He also scored a hat-trick against this goalkeeper in the round of 16 of the Champions League in the 2018-19 season, helping the “Old Lady” successfully come back. It can be affirmed that in his career, Jan Oblak is most “afraid” of Ronaldo. And now, Portuguese lovers are hoping that Ronaldo’s fate of scoring against Oblak will repeat itself at this Euro, to help the team continue.

The Portuguese defense will have to keep an eye on Benjamin Sesko. Photo: Mirror
On the Slovenian side, Oblak and his teammates have just made history by reaching the knockout round of a Euro for the first time. 3 draws against highly rated opponents Denmark, Serbia, England are remarkable results. Although they do not have an even squad, it is not that Slovenia does not have outstanding players. In addition to the reliable Jan Oblak in goal, Slovenia’s striker is also very dangerous. That is a young Benjamin Sesko who is coveted by all of Europe. This 21-year-old player has diverse finishing ability, wide activities and good connection with teammates around. To prove himself as a top striker, Sesko needs to shine when facing a legendary striker like Ronaldo. An opportunity that can be successfully exploited, Sesko will turn himself into a hero.