Portugal vs. Austria: Score and Twitter Reaction from Euro 2016

Portugal vs. Austria: Score and Twitter Reaction from Euro 2016

Portugal vs. Austria: Score and Twitter Reaction from Euro 2016

 

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a late penalty as Portugal were held to a scoreless draw in their Euro 2016 clash against Austria on Saturday night, leaving their chances of winning Group F in serious doubt.

Austria held out for 78 minutes before Martin Hinteregger hauled down Ronaldo in the penalty area, but the Portugal captain could only strike the base of the left post with his effort from 12 yards.


Ronaldo's spot-kick attempt was the first missed penalty of this year's European Championships and perfectly summarised Portugal's tournament thus far, filled with so much promise but little by way of effect.
It was another limp night from Portugal and Ronaldo, with football writer Michiel Jongsma pointing him out as just one of the star names at Euro 2016 struggling to live up to expectations:
Manager Fernando Santos knew only a win would do for his side following the embarrassing 1-1 draw against Iceland last Tuesday, and Portugal started Saturday's assault by taking a firm grip of possession.
That being said, the Group F favourites had to be wary of growing complacent even if momentum was on their side, considering that was the theme for their Icelandic disappointment.
The forward pairing of Ronaldo and Nani in particular took little time to enforce themselves in front of Austria goalkeeper Robert Almer's net.
And it was Nani who had the best of the early chances on the half-hour mark, when Austria's defence left him wide open before thudding his headed effort off the post, per Unibet:
Austria were struggling to mount any pressure in the Portuguese half, but when they did, it was the likes of Stefan Ilsanker and Marko Arnautovic pulling the strings.
For all their solidity at times, however, coach Marcel Koller's men also showed their senseless side, particularly when defender Hinteregger and stopper Almer got their wires crossed with Nani lying in wait, per Match of the Day:
The underdogs managed to keep their foes at bay until the halfway mark in a clash that had illustrated Portugal's profligacy more than Austria's rigidity as such.
Ronaldo had his chance to nudge Portugal ahead early in the second period with a free-kick from 35 yards out, but his attempt couldn't even get past Austria's wall, leading Bet365 to question his set-piece proficiency: