Cristiano Ronaldo is handed a 4/10 rating in his homeland as Portuguese press wake up to the problem in their team – and one paper calls for him to be dropped for their Euro quarter-final

The Portuguese media have questioned whether Cristiano Ronaldo should be dropped from the national team following his performance against Slovenia.

Ronaldo and Co were on the verge of being knocked out of Euro 2024 on Monday night and needed penalties to reach the last eight of the tournament, with the forward missing from the spot in extra time.

He was reduced to tears as he tried to gather his thoughts at half time, but recovered to score in the shootout to send his side on their way to a dominant victory when it came to spot kicks.

There have still, however, been questions over his place in the side, with the forward having played in Saudi Arabia for the best part of 18 months and seemingly off the pace in Germany, still yet to score a goal in normal time.

One Portuguese publication, Publico, have been left questioning whether it’s time to chance the front man in the side, giving him a brutal rating post-match.

Ronaldo was in tears after missing a penalty in extra time, with the game going to a shootout

One publication, Publico, gave the forward a 4/10 rating after ‘another poor performance’

‘Another poor performance from the captain,’ they wrote, grading the forward. ‘Just like in the last game – although less so – he spent a lot of time on the ground.

‘Then he made poor decisions in finishing areas, poor passes in front of goal – he ruined some plays – and was inaccurate in finishing, even though he only had a clear goal-scoring opportunity at the end of the second half.

‘He also has a low success rate in free kicks, something that has been seen a lot. He missed a penalty. Ronaldo doesn’t attack space, doesn’t explore depth, doesn’t offer football in front of goal and doesn’t finish like he did at other times in his career – and it’s debatable whether Ronaldo, in this form, is more of a virtue than a flaw for this team.

‘What would have happened with Ronaldo coming off the bench, fresh and with the Slovenians exhausted? We’ll never know.’

Ronaldo is surrounded by attacking talent in the team, with a three-man attack of Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao lining up behind him.

Calls have come for the likes of Goncalo Ramos or Diogo Jota to replace him in the side, but it’s a decision that would almost certainly be rebuffed by a number of Portugal fans should Roberto Martinez make the call.

A Bola suggested that Ronaldo’s struggles are having an impact on the rest of the side as they continue to struggle to hit top form out in Germany.

‘It is true that Jota isolated Ronaldo and it was he who suffered the penalty that CR7 would miss,’ the publication wrote. ‘But these changes, theoretically with the aim of creating numerical equality in Portugal’s attack with Slovenia’s defence  served to accentuate the image of a team that has not yet found its form and that seems to be showing signs of Cristiano Ronaldo’s anxiety.

‘[It is] similar to what happened in the World Cup in Qatar, where CR7’s tears at the end of the game against Morocco were spread around the world.’

A Bola suggested his struggles at the tournament are having an impact on the rest of the team

Correio da Manha highlighted the fact that Ronaldo hasn’t scored in one of their headlines

He had to be consoled by his team-mates during half time of extra time after the penalty miss

There have been calls to drop the forward in order to accommodate other players in the side

Correio da Manha, meanwhile, highlighted the veteran’s struggles in front of goal, running with a headline: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo has now kept a blank for the eighth consecutive game in the finals.

Elsewhere, a number of publications, including Record and Diario de Noticias, chose to highlight Ronaldo confirming that Euro 2024 will be the last time he plays in a Euros.