‘Proud of our captain’- Cristiano Ronaldo bizarrely praised for giving Portugal a ‘lesson’ as Roberto Martinez reacts to his Euro 2024 disasterclass against Slovenia

However, Ronaldo stepped up first for Portugal and converted the first penalty in the shootout to set an example for his team-mates at a challenging time – especially given the emotional toll of his earlier miss. And after Costa saved three consecutive Slovenia attempts to fire his nation to the last eight of the competition, a relieved Ronaldo got back his smile.

Martinez lauded Ronaldo for his determination and ability to lead by example and emphasised that his skipper’s behaviour demonstrated the kind of resilience required at the highest level of football.

“First and foremost, I think he is a constant example for us, the only player that has ever played in six European Championships,” Martinez told reporters.

“He is happy taking that responsibility and has got that belief. I thanked him [afterwards] for being the way he is, for caring for the group. I was certain that he would be the first penalty taker and show us the way to take victory. I think we’re all very proud of our captain. Our dressing room was all delighted. I think he gave us all a lesson. Life and football give you difficult moments and the way he reacted shows why we are so proud in Portuguese football.”

Slovenia, despite not losing a match in normal time during the tournament, found themselves eliminated after this last-16 defeat. Their best chance came when Benjamin Sesko capitalised on a mistake by Portugal’s veteran defender Pepe but he failed to convert it into a goal.

Portugal’s victory against Slovenia sets up a quarter-final clash with France on Friday evening in Hamburg. Ronaldo will be looking to end his Euro 2024 goal drought and lead his team to the last four of the competition in their quest to conquer Europe again after their 2016 success.