Cristiano Ronaldo narrowly avoided being hit by a fan who jumped from the crowd to get close to the soccer star when Portugal played Georgia at the European Championship on Wednesday.

A video widely circulated on social media shows someone leaping over the top of the players’ tunnel at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen as Ronaldo headed to the locker room.

A safety steward rushed to shield the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star and other security staff raced toward the fan, who fell away out of sight.

A bemused-looking Ronaldo stopped, but appeared to be unharmed. Portugal lost the game 2-0.

Portugal’s Football Federation confirmed the incident, but did not comment. European soccer’s governing body UEFA said it was aware of the incident and the fan was not injured.

Gelsenkirchen police said the matter was not part of its responsibility.

Ronaldo is one of the most famous sporting icons in the world with a massive fan base, which includes 632 million followers on Instagram and nearly 112 million on X.

During Portugal’s previous match against Turkey in Dortmund on Saturday he was confronted on the field by four supporters who wanted selfies.

Ronaldo posed for one with a young fan who evaded stewards to get on the field in the 69th minute, but looked frustrated when approached by more fans later in the game and after the final whistle.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez coach said after that game that the Al Nassr forward was fortunate not to have been harmed and raised concerns over his security.

“We all love a fan that recognizes the big stars and the big icons in their minds,” he said. “But you can understand it was a very, very difficult moment — if those intentions are wrong, the players are exposed and we need to be careful with that.”

UEFA have said safety and security in the stadium is the “ultimate priority” and that additional safety measures would be deployed to prevent selfie-seeking fans from entering the field.

The 39-year-old Ronaldo is widely-regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time alongside Lionel Messi, Pele and Diego Maradona.

He has won the Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world on five occasions and is a six-time Champions League winner.

He now plays for Saudi Arabian team Al Nassr and reportedly earns up to $200 million a year.

Ronaldo is the first player to appear at six European Championships and while he is yet to score at this year’s tournament, he holds the record for the most goals at the Euros with 14.

He could also become the oldest player to score at a Euros – surpassing Luka Modric, who set a record with his goal for Croatia against Italy on Tuesday at the age of 38 years and 289 days.

Despite the shock loss to Georgia, Portugal advanced to the knockout phase of Euro 2024 and will play Slovenia in the round of 16 in Frankfurt on Monday.

-AP

The line-up for the round of 16 at the European Championship in Germany is complete.

Here is a quick guide to the eight games which get under way on Saturday.

SWITZERLAND v ITALY

June 29 – Berlin, 18:00

Switzerland impressed in the pool stages with their usual efficiency, while defending champions Italy stumbled into the last 16, though both teams were runners-up in their respective pools. The Swiss ousted France via penalties at this stage following a thrilling 3-3 draw in 2021 and will be similarly difficult to beat. Italy coach Luciano Spalletti feels his team are improving with each game, though. Five of the last six meetings between the sides have finished in draws and Switzerland’s last win over Italy was in 1993.

GERMANY v DENMARK

June 29 – Dortmund, 21:00

Hosts Germany topped Group A with seven points while Denmark advanced in second place in Group C despite drawing all three games. Germany have scored more goals (8), had more possession (64.3%) and the best passing accuracy (93%) of any side as they extended their unbeaten run to seven games. Denmark will be underdogs but reached the semi-finals three years ago, where they lost in extra time to England.

ENGLAND v SLOVAKIA

June 30 – Gelsenkirchen, 18:00

England limped through the pool stages and bar a strong opening against Serbia in their first game, looked underwhelming despite the array of attacking talent at manager Gareth Southgate’s disposal. They will view this as an excellent chance to advance but will find their fired-up opponents no pushovers. England managed only 10 attempts on target in their three pool games, scoring twice. That is not title-winning form. The teams last met in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers where England claimed 2-1 and 1-0 wins.

SPAIN v GEORGIA

June 30 – Cologne, 21:00

Spain were the most impressive team in the group stage with three wins, five goals scored and none conceded. They have reached the semi-finals at least in three of the last four Euros finals, winning the title in 2008 and 2012. Debutants Georgia surprised Portugal 2-0 to seal their last-16 place. Spain have won the last four meetings between the sides, all since 2021, including 7-1 and 4-0 victories.

FRANCE v BELGIUM

July 1 – Duesseldorf, 18:00

Belgium’s search for a first major international trophy has led them to a clash with the powerful French and coach Domenico Tedesco’s side having shown nothing in Germany to suggest this is a hurdle they can clear. France have not hit top gear either, though both teams had two clean sheets in the pool stage, suggesting their issues lie with attacking potency. That is surprising with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Kevin De Bruyne in their ranks. There have been 13 goals scored in the last three games between the teams.

PORTUGAL v SLOVENIA

July 1 – Frankfurt, 21:00

Portugal’s loss to Georgia in their final pool game came out of nowhere, ending a run of 12 consecutive victories in competitive fixtures since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They still topped their pool and play a Slovenia team who advanced to the last 16 on the back of three draws, and who beat Portugal 2-0 in a friendly in March. No player in the tournament has had more attempts at goal than Cristiano Ronaldo (12) but he has yet to score.

ROMANIA v NETHERLANDS

July 2 – Munich, 18:00

There were contrasting emotions for these teams following the pool stages as Romania wildly celebrated a first place in the Euros knockouts since 2000 by topping Group E and Netherlands seethed as they slipped to a 3-2 defeat by Austria and finished third in their pool. The Dutch will hope to avoid a second successive last-16 exit having lost 2-0 to Czech Republic three years ago. They have won the last four meetings with Romania.

AUSTRIA v TURKEY

July 2 – Leipzig, 21:00

Austria won 6-1 when these teams met in a friendly in March but a determined Turkey will be a different proposition this time round. The Austrians were among the most impressive sides in the pool stages, even if they lost their opener 1-0 to France, and have momentum going into the knockout rounds. So do Turkey, but they were also soundly beaten 3-0 by Portugal five days ago. Only Scotland (7), Croatia (6) and Poland (6) conceded more goals than Turkey (5) in the pool stages.

-Reuters

Georgia’s national football team was little-known in the lead-up to Euro 2024, with all eyes placed on fellow Group F team Portugal, touted as one of the favourites for the title with their veteran superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at the helm.

But on June 26 the unfancied side upset already-qualified Portugal 2-0 to finish third with four points, setting up a round of 16 clash with Spain on their tournament debut.

Who exactly is this underdog team, who come from a nation with a population of 3.7 million?

First major international tournament

Euro 2024 is Georgia’s first major footballing tournament in its history since independence. They were part of the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1991, and have not made any appearances in significant international competitions after becoming a sovereign state.

This made their results in the group stage of Euro 2024 more remarkable. Claiming a win, draw and loss each, the Georgians impressed fans worldwide with their resilience, and they showed few signs of inexperience despite stepping up to the European stage for the first time.

Rise after a fall

Things were not always positive for Georgia football. By 2015, the team had fallen outside the top 150 of the Fifa world rankings, with the sport seemingly in the doldrums as domestic football also hit rock bottom.

But with investment and multiple changes made to its football system, including more pitches, players and fans, the sport is on the rise again in the country. They are now ranked 74th in the world rankings.

Rebranding in 2022

One of those changes is the rebranding of the national team two years ago. The move was made to promote the idea of building a team with strong individuals who can complement one another and be responsible for their performances.

Georgian Football Federation vice-president Aleksandr Iashvili explained in an interview that in the past, individual quality did not translate into the team’s success, and with the new identity and motto “strength is in unity”, players are reminded to produce the best results to make the team stronger.

Deadly duo up front

During the tournament, Napoli winger Kvicha Kvaratskhelia has teamed up with Metz striker Georges Mikautadze to form a formidable strike force that tormented defenders.

Kvaratskhelia has been a joy to watch, displaying the qualities that has earned the winger the fan nickname “Kvara-dona” – a reference to the late Argentina hero Diego Maradona. He is responsible for keeping possession high up the field for the Georgians with his ball retention and dribbling ability.

Mikautadze, who scored thrice during the group stage, has a good understanding with his strike partner and poses a threat to defences with his physicality and runs.

Counter-attacking football

Georgia’s powerful counter-attacking football has been on display throughout the tournament. They have had less possession than their opponents in all three matches but were comfortable in those situations.

But when they win the ball back, they are constantly looking for opportunities to destroy their opponents in transition. Their goal against Portugal had Mikautadze picking up the loose ball and sending Kvaratskhelia through on goal.

Coach Willy Sagnol has set his team up to pounce on mistakes and finish their moves off while opposition defenders are scrambling back.

Bright future

While the country is currently going through political turmoil, with protests against the nation’s alignment with Moscow, its football is giving joy to Georgians.

Besides their strengths as a team, their star players are still youthful and have bright futures ahead of them. At 23, Kvaratskhelia is a mainstay at Napoli, and Mikautadze, who is the same age, has a long runway in the sport. Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who made 11 saves against the Czech Republic, is also 23. 

They will next face a tough challenge against title contenders Spain, but regardless of where they end up at Euro 2024, they have gained respect among football fans and are a team to look out for in future.

-Straitstimes