CELEBRITY
Ronaldo double rescues Portugal in dramatic Euro draw with France
Cristiano Ronaldo came to Portugal’s rescue with two penalties to cancel out a brace from France’s Karim Benzema in an enthralling 2-2 draw that sent both sides into the Euro 2020 last 16 in a breathless conclusion to Group F on Wednesday (June 23).
A nerve-jangling night for the reigning European champions saw them occupy every position in the group at various junctures but the 36-year-old Ronaldo, so often his country’s saviour, stepped up again to reach yet another career milestone.
Two spot-kick conversions – in the 31st and 60th minutes – took him to 109 international goals, level with the record number scored by Iran’s Ali Daei.
Benzema’s first was also from the spot as for the first time in Euros history a match had three penalties.
The Frenchman, recalled by manager Didier Deschamps for the tournament after a five-year international exile, equalised on the stroke of halftime and put France ahead two minutes after the interval.
With Hungary leading against Germany at that point, Portugal were bottom of Group F and heading home.
But Ronaldo coolly beat Hugo Lloris again from 12 yards and Portugal held on for the draw which means they finished on four points in third place and can now prepare for a last-16 clash against Belgium in Seville.
France, whose attack finally clicked, topped a crazy group with five points and will take on Switzerland in Bucharest.
“It was a fight and it wasn’t easy. We gave them the two goals from mistakes. We tried to win it,” said France manager Didier Deschamps, whose side were in danger of a last-16 clash with England at Wembley when they fell behind.
“It means we’re top and that’s the best position.”
Every scenario
The Euro 2020 format has been criticised but there is no doubt that it produced a gripping night in which every conceivable scenario seemed to come into play.
Portugal had only needed to avoid defeat to be sure of a last-16 spot but after bossing the first half with recalled Renato Sanches and Joao Moutinho commanding in midfield, they diced with danger after the break.
In the end, they could breath a sigh of relief, though, as they go into the business end of the tournament they won by beating France in Paris in the 2016 final.
France began brightly with Paul Pogba sending Mbappe through for a shot saved by Rui Patricio, But Portugal were awarded a penalty in the 27th minute after Hugo Lloris’ attempted punched clearance wiped out Danilo.
Lloris was shown a yellow card before Ronaldo smashed the penalty into the corner.
France were rattled and Portugal began to play with some swagger but they were pegged back when referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz deemed that Nelson Semedo had bundled over Kylian Mbappe on the stroke of halftime as he tried to latch on to Pogba’s pass.
Benzema buried the penalty and two minutes after the break he was picked out by Pogba again and the Real Madrid striker, shown to be just onside by a VAR check, slotted the ball past Rui Patricio for his 29th goal for France.
Now it was Portugal on the ropes in the Puskas Arena as France’s fearsome attack began to play with freedom.
But the game’s third penalty, awarded for a handball by Jules Kounde, gave Ronaldo the chance to beat Lloris again from the spot to register his fifth goal of the tournament.
-Reuters
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion.
The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.
Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.
Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement any time soon.
“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.
“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”
-Reuters
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Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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