"He doesn't like to lose" - Bernardo Silva explains how Cristiano Ronaldo has been dealing with EURO 2024 defeat to Georgia

Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva explained how superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been dealing with the 2-0 defeat against tournament debutants Georgia at EURO 2024. The Manchester City playmaker claimed that the 39-year-old 'doesn't like to lose', and was still unhappy about the result despite qualifying for the Round of 16 as group winners.

Goals from Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (2') and Metz forward Georges Mikautadze (57', penalty) powered Georgia to their first-ever victory at the European Championship.

On the other side, by his own high standards, Ronaldo had an evening to forget. He had just 18 touches of the ball, completed 8/12 passes (67%), created one chance and lost both his duels before being substituted in the 66th minute (stats via FotMob).

Speaking to ESPN about the Al-Nassr frontman's post-game demeanor and Portugal's performance, Silva said:

"He doesn't like to lose, so he's still a bit upset. Obviously, all of us deal in different ways with the feelings and bad performances. As I said, it was a game we wanted to win. Even though we didn't win, we're still in good form to perform well in the last 16."

The 29-year-old claimed that his side cannot afford to take any game lightly, but added that they were still confident about their chances in the competition. He said:

"Its a tough tournament, no easy games for anyone. We were already qualified, but we still wanted to win. Not a good result for us, but we're still here, first in the group. We've got a tough game in the last 16 [against Slovenia] but we're very confident."

"It was even clearer" - Portugal coach Roberto Martinez comes to Cristiano Ronaldo's defense after penalty appeal vs Georgia

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez came to the defense of his star striker Cristiano Ronaldo after his penalty appeal was denied in the 2-0 loss against Georgia at EURO 2024.

In the 28th minute of the game, opposition defender Luka Lochoshvili appeared to have tugged Ronaldo to the ground by his shirt. However, the penalty was not awarded by referee Sandro Scharer, who instead booked the 39-year-old for dissent.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner did not have much of an impact thereafter and was taken off the pitch in the 66th minute. He showed his frustration by kicking a bottle on his way to the bench.

Speaking at a post-match press conference, however, Martinez came to Ronaldo's defense. He highlighted the irregularities of the VAR, which awarded Georgia a penalty for centre-back Antonio Silva's challenge on Lochoshvili later in the game.

He said (via 90Min):

"At times, we were unlucky. The VAR was inconsistent, if it's a penalty on Antonio Silva, it was even clearer for Ronaldo. Georgia had the game of their lives and we didn't match the intensity."

In the Round of 16, Georgia will take on Spain [June 30] and the EURO 2016 champions will play Slovenia [July 1].