The two great forgotten Cristiano goals ruined by no goal-line tech
Alongside Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo must be one of the biggest advocates of goal-line technology.
Ronaldo has scored a staggering 115 goals for Portugal, making him the all-time top goalscorer in the history of international football.
However, he is never satisfied with what he already has and will undoubtedly argue that he should have at least three more goals for his country.
During Portugal’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Serbia last March, Ronaldo was left fuming after he was controversially denied a last-minute winner.
The 36-year-old had every right to feel aggrieved given the ball had indeed crossed the line, but the lack of goal-line technology in place at the Rajko Mitic Stadium meant that Serbia were given a reprieve.
“I always give and will give everything for my country, that will never change,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram after the 2-2 draw.
“But there are difficult times to deal with, especially when we feel that an entire nation is being harmed. We will keep our heads up and face the next challenge now.”
Ronaldo probably had a sense of deja vu as this wasn’t the first time that he had been denied an international goal due to a lack of goal-line technology. It happened not once, but twice.
Back in November 2010, Portugal secured a memorable 4-0 victory over Spain and Ronaldo ‘scored’ a superb individual goal against his country’s bitter rivals.
With the scores tied at 0-0 in the first half, he sent Gerard Pique to the shops with a brilliant piece of skill before scooping the ball over Iker Casillas.
It was destined for the back of the net but Nani, who clearly hadn’t read the script, then nodded the ball in from an offside position to deny his team-mate a memorable strike.
Throwback to when