Getty Despite having their static all-time top scorer, the Three Lions managed to narrowly defeat Switzerland. They must now be cautious in order to avoid repeating the same error as Portugal.
The English media love to kick a man when he's down and after Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal were knocked out of Euro 2024 on Friday, there was a feeding frenzy. And with good reason.
What should have been a mouth-watering contest between two of the best sides on the continent, if not the world, descended into the Cristiano Ronaldo show, just like Portugal's last-16 tie with Slovenia.
'Ronaldo looked lost in his own reverie' wrote The Telegraph. 'A galactic battle lost in the black hole of one man’s ego,' was the take from The Guardian. 'Cristiano Ronaldo should retire from Portugal duty for his own good,' wrote The I Paper, claiming the striker was 'threatening his own legacy by not knowing when to stop'.
Ultimately, Portugal suffered the consequences of their decision to support an aging captain and rely on a team filled with exceptional players, as they were ultimately left vulnerable to a penalty shootout.
But less than 24 hours later, England almost succumbed to the same fate, showing blind faith in Harry Kane against Switzerland despite the clear evidence in front of them that he was holding them back.
