Cristiano Ronaldo admits he offered no argument after being asked to step up fifth in Portugal's Euro 2012 semi-final penalty shoot-out with Spain.
Portugal skipper accepted shoot-out gamble
Cristiano Ronaldo admits he offered no argument after being asked to step up fifth in Portugal's Euro 2012 semi-final penalty shoot-out with Spain.
With 120 minutes of hard-fought action failing to produce a winner on Wednesday, as two Iberian neighbours cancelled each other out in a goalless draw, a spot-kick lottery was required to determine who would grace the European Championship final.
As captain and national talisman, it was expected that Ronaldo would step up early for Portugal and try to set the tone.
He was, however, kept back until the end and saw failures from Joao Mountinho and Bruno Alves rob him of an opportunity to convert from 12 yards - as Spain prevailed 4-2.
Ronaldo claims Portugal coach Paulo Bento suggested that he should take the final spot-kick, and insists he had no problem with placing added responsibility on the shoulders of others.
Agreed
"I was going to take the fifth penalty but we missed two," said the Real Madrid forward.
"It was just a question of me speaking with the coach. He said to me: 'Do you want to take the fifth one?' and I said 'yes'.
"Sometimes I take the first, the second or the third. I agreed to take the fifth.
"I hope Spain win the tournament now because I have a lot friends there and I play there and it will be a tough final for them.
"It felt very normal playing against Real Madrid players. On the pitch we are not friends, but outside we are."
Painful
While disappointed to bow out of Euro 2012 in heartbreaking fashion, Ronaldo believes Portugal can take plenty of positives away from their showing in Poland and Ukraine.
"I feel sad. Losing a semi-final in the penalty shoot-out is always painful, but it is a lottery: the luckier side wins," he told SIC.
"I think it was a good tournament on our part. We did very well. We are amongst the best four teams in Europe and the only reason we do not reach the final is because we were not lucky.
"We have to be proud of what we did, but we are a bit frustrated because we know we could reach the final.
"I gave my best, so I am satisfied with that I did. We deserved to be in the final, but we were not lucky."
