Iceland hits back at ‘ungracious’ Ronaldo
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EURO 2016 minnow Iceland hit back at Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo, labelling him “not a gracious human being” after he slammed the Atlantic islanders’ defensive tactics in a 1-1 draw in Saint-Etienne.
Ronaldo accused Iceland of having a “small mentality” on Tuesday as it prevented the Real Madrid ace from becoming the first man to score in four European championship finals on its debut at a major international tournament.
“He’s a fantastic footballer, but he’s not a gracious human being and the thing is we almost nicked the win, so him saying we weren’t going for the win contradicts that,” said midfielder Kari Arnason, who was on the receiving end of a four-goal Ronaldo haul in their last meeting when Real smashed his Malmo side 8-0 in December.
And Arnason even claimed the humble attitude of Ronaldo’s perennial rival for the crown of the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, makes him more loveable than Ronaldo.
“Obviously we’re not going to create as much chances as a fantastic team like Portugal, but his comments are the reason why Messi is always going to be one step ahead of him,” he said.
Ronaldo had 10 shots on goal, but stormed off the pitch at full-time in frustration as he was denied by Iceland’s dogged defense and a great display from ‘keeper Hannes Halldorsson.
“He had a header in the final minutes of the game and a chance in the first-half, but otherwise I thought we had him under control,” added Arnason.
Former Iceland international Hermann Hreidarsson branded Ronaldo a “sore loser”, claiming he had been “beaten up” by Iceland’s tireless hard work.
“He thought he could have goals handed to him on a plate,” Hreidarsson, who made 89 international appearances, told the BBC.
“If he would have worked as hard as every Icelandic player, he wouldn’t have had to say anything because I’m sure he would have got his rewards.
“He didn’t fancy it on the day and he just got beaten up.”
Many pundits expected Tuesday’s clash at the Geoffroy Guichard stadium to produce the tournament’s first drubbing and those predictions appeared accurate after Nani made Portugal’s first-half dominance tell with a 31st-minute opener.
The battling Icelanders had other ideas, though. Roared on by their passionate fans, who were draped in the country’s flags and sporting Viking-style horned helmets, Iceland hit back as Birkir Bjarnason silenced the Portuguese faithful with a well-taken 50th-minute strike.
With seemingly its toughest group match out of the way, Iceland will look forward to its next game against Hungary, a surprise 2-0 winner over Austria, in Marseille on Saturday.
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