Ronaldo makes young fan’s day in goalless draw with Ireland

 

There were no goals in the clash between Portugal and Republic Ireland on Thursday, but at least a young fan of Cristiano Ronaldo got what could better than goal for her.

Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating night in Portugal’s 0-0 draw in the Republic of Ireland as he was shackled by defenders preventing him from adding to his world record of 115 international goals.

But it wasn’t just Irish defenders making a beeline for the Manchester United star, with fans also desperate to come face-to-face with the football icon in Dublin.

One young fan breached security at the final whistle as she made her way onto the pitch to greet the 36-year-old, holding back the tears as she edged closer him.

Although security soon caught up with her, Ronaldo appeared relaxed enough to allow them to let her through, a plea also aided by nearby Ireland players.

The young fan then looked delighted as Ronaldo took off his match shirt to give to her as a souvenir, before then also giving her a comforting hug before he then departed the pitch.

But it wasn’t the first time Ronaldo was faced with a fan during the dour draw at the Aviva Stadium, as he was forced to take defensive action when an older supporter charged the field.

Security again caught up with the supporter, who despite being held back still managed to get a distant hand-shake off the forward.

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Late in the second half he found rare space from defenders, and fans, to make headed contact with an Andre Gomes cross, only to glance his effort narrowly wide across goal.

The United star then had another chance with the final attack of the match in stoppage time, looking to score from an acute angle instead of passing the ball back for team-mate Joao Felix to convert.

Despite failing to win in Dublin, the draw was enough to take Portugal back on top of Group A on goal difference ahead of Serbia, who they will host in Lisbon on Sunday needing only a draw to secure qualification for next winter’s World Cup finals in Qatar.