90min

Twitter reacts as Portugal are knocked out of Euro 2020

By Max Cooper

Cristiano Ronaldo looks dejected as Belgium celebrate
Cristiano Ronaldo looks dejected as Belgium celebrate / Thanassis Stavrakis - Pool/Getty Images
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It's official: the European Championship holders are out.

Portugal slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Belgium in the round of 16 at Euro 2020, meaning the trophy is well and truly up for grabs.

The game was cagey from the outset, with the reigning champions attempting to make life very difficult for their adventurous and creative opponents. All their hard work was undone on 42 minutes however, when Thorgan Hazard unleashed a thunderbolt which flew past Rui Patricio.

Great strike, but some of us weren't convinced by the goalkeeper's attempts to save the pile-driver...

Never fear though, Portugal fans. There was still plenty of time to get back into this one. The Selecao did create some great chances, and could have gone close with several free kicks in dangerous positions.

Unfortunately, serial wall-smasher Cristiano Ronaldo was on the case.

So, we couldn't rely on Ronaldo for inspiration. Nor could we rely on Kevin De Bruyne, although for much more worrying reasons. The Manchester City star was hacked down by Joao Palhinha, and the tackle was bad enough to force him off the pitch through injury.

Naturally, we were all gutted to lose one of the greatest players on the planet.

But then, we all saw something we much prefer to see...needle! Of course, Portuguese nutter Pepe was at the heart of it, picking up a yellow card. He was probably disappointed it didn't escalate further, actually.

Amid all the fighting, the fouling and the arguing, the game of football did draw to an end. Belgium clung on to the 1-0 win thanks to the post, heroics from Thibaut Courtois and some stoic defending.

For Ronaldo and Portugal, it was the end of the road. The legendary forward looked furious at full-time, probably frustrated that he couldn't break the all-time record for the most international goals in history while playing at the European Championship.

Don't worry, it'll come in the form of a penalty against Andorra or something. And finally, spare a thought for Joao Felix, who has (unfortunately for him) popped up on Roy Keane's radar.

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