HAMBURG, Germany — Cristiano Ronaldo's breakdown after missing a penalty for Portugal was a reminder that footballers are human too despite their elevated status, teammate Bernardo Silva said on Thursday (July 4).

Ronaldo's tears after his failure from the spot, with the score at 0-0 against Slovenia in their Euro 2024 last-16 game, has been an abiding image of the tournament and brought criticism from some fans and pundits of self-importance.

"We're humans and he felt emotional when he missed a penalty. It's acceptable, isn't it? Sometimes you react in ways you don't expect... he felt he could have done better in that moment," Silva told a news conference.

"He cries for a bit, which is how humans deal with emotions sometimes. So I don't see any reason for people to discuss about it, but obviously people will, because that's the business."

Despite missing during the game, Ronaldo was first up for the penalty shootout against Slovenia which Portugal won, thanks also to a successful spotkick by Silva.

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