Things went down to the wire last night, with Diogo Costa forced to act Superman after Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in the middle of the field. Portugal had an obvious chance to finish the game in extra time after Diogo Jota was fouled inside the box. Ronaldo stepped up to the plate to take the penalty but had Jan Oblak thwart him from the point plank range.

Cristiano Ronaldo was inconsolable after the miss as he dropped to the field in tears. His teammates had to control him as they tried to get him back in the state for the game. While many felt this was Cristiano’s passion for the game, Liverpool legend Steve Nicol claimed his actions dragged his team down and could have hurt the game.

Nicol, talking on ESPN, stated, “Ronaldo is not just a player to the Portugues national team. He is way beyond that. So how do you think it looks on the team when the guy who they think is up there has mentally collapsed? No, we all understand he is the type of character he is and mentally he can pull himself up together the way he did and I appreciate that side.”

He continued, “But we don’t know what the rest of the team is like. So to do that was to put them in a bad situation. Not only did you miss the penalty, but he’s now put them in a mental state as well.”

That wasn’t Nicol’s only criticism of Cristiano as he also claimed the player was playing selfishly and should stop taking free kicks if he cannot convert them. His comments picked up steam considering Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t found the back of the net with his last 30+ free kicks.

Steve Nicol continues to rip into Cristiano Ronaldo

Former soccer star Steve Nicol ripped into Cristiano during his appearance on ESPN stating, “He’s taking them because he says he’s taking them. Roberto Martinez wouldn’t say no to him. If you can have taken 34 free kicks and you haven’t scored, so yeah. The problem that Portugal and Roberto Martinez have is Ronaldo is held in so much esteem that nobody wants to be the one to say no.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has been someone who has rescued his team from tough situations. The player was on fire during the Euro Qualifiers as he emerged as the top scorer for his team. However, it seems like the Portuguese talisman’s form has dipped as of late as he continues to struggle in front of the goal.

Fans will hope the performances leading to the quarterfinals are just a rough patch. If Cristiano Ronaldo cannot shrug it off, his team could be in for a dreadful night against France in their upcoming clash.