In a dramatic turn of events, Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s talismanic captain, missed a crucial penalty just six minutes into their UEFA Nations League quarter-final second-leg match against Denmark on Sunday night. The miss, dubbed by fans as one of the worst of his illustrious career, left Portugal trailing in the tie and sparked widespread disbelief among supporters and analysts alike.
The match, held at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, came on the heels of Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark in the first leg in Copenhagen on March 20. With Denmark holding a slender aggregate lead thanks to Rasmus Hojlund’s late strike in the first leg, Portugal were desperate to level the score early in the return fixture. Ronaldo, who has scored a world-record 135 international goals, earned a golden opportunity to do just that when he was brought down in the penalty area by Manchester United’s Patrick Dorgu in the fifth minute.
Stepping up to the spot with his trademark confidence, the 40-year-old Al-Nassr star took a long run-up, aiming to place the ball into the bottom corner. However, his effort was shockingly tame and central, allowing Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to make a comfortable save low to his left. The stadium fell silent as Ronaldo stood motionless, hands on hips, while Schmeichel and the Danish defense celebrated the pivotal stop.
Social media erupted immediately after the miss, with fans labeling it “the worst penalty of Ronaldo’s career.” One X user wrote, “That’s one of the worst penalty kicks I’ve ever seen from Cristiano Ronaldo,” while another quipped, “He practically passed it to Schmeichel.” The miss was particularly surprising given Ronaldo’s stellar penalty record—he had converted all 18 of his previous attempts for Al-Nassr and boasts an 83% success rate from the spot across his career.
The moment carried extra weight as it came hours after Ronaldo had clashed with reporters in a tense press conference, defending his international future against what he called “disrespectful” questions. Earlier in the day, he had been honored with a Guinness World Record for the most wins in international football (132), a milestone that made his subsequent miss even more jarring.
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez, who has stood by Ronaldo amid recent scrutiny of his form, now faces mounting pressure to turn the tie around. Despite the early setback, the Seleção pushed forward, with Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot showing intent, but Denmark’s resolute defending held firm in the opening stages.