Portugal secured their place in the UEFA Nations League semifinals after a dramatic win over Denmark. The match also featured an unpleasant moment for superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed a penalty. The miss gave Ronaldo a negative record, surpassing Lionel Messi in the number of penalties missed. After trailing 0-1 in the first leg, Portugal needed a win to secure a spot in the last four.
The failure means Ronaldo has a negative record, surpassing Lionel Messi in the number of penalties he has missed. After trailing 0-1 in the first leg, Portugal must win to secure a ticket to the last four.
A golden opportunity came early after the referee awarded Portugal a penalty in the third minute. Patrick Dorgu fouled Ronaldo in the penalty box. However, Ronaldo’s execution was thwarted by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
However, the captain made amends by scoring the winning goal that sent Portugal into the semi-finals. However, Ronaldo’s penalty miss record now stands at 32, making him the player with the most penalty misses in football history. He previously shared the record with Lionel Messi, who had 31 missed penalties.
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In his career, Ronaldo has scored 173 goals from 205 penalties, with a failure rate of around 15.6 percent. Meanwhile, Messi has a higher failure rate of 22.1 percent, with 109 goals from 140 penalties. The last time Messi missed a penalty was in 2022.
Apart from Ronaldo and Messi, several other players who have a fairly high record of missed penalties include Zlatan Ibrahimovic (16 failed attempts out of 92), Antonio Di Natale (15 failed attempts out of 58 penalties), and Italian legend Francesco Totti who failed 20 out of 106 penalties.
Interestingly, Ronaldo’s penalty conversion rate differs between club and international level. At club level, he has successfully converted 152 of 175 penalties, with a success rate of 86.9 percent. However, at international level, he has only scored 21 goals from 30 penalties, with a lower conversion rate of 70 percent.
In contrast, Messi has a better penalty record with the Argentina national team. He has scored 24 goals from 29 penalties for his country, with a conversion rate of 82.8 percent. While at club level, he has a success rate of 76.6 percent, with 85 goals from 111 penalties.
With this record, the rivalry between the two world football superstars continues, both in terms of achievements and statistics on the field. Now, Portugal is ready to step into the UEFA Nations League semifinals with the hope of bringing home the championship title.
