Hungary boss Marco Rossi has criticized Cristiano Ronaldo for his over-the-top celebrations during Euro 2020. The Portuguese superstar is currently the leading goal-scorer in the tournament after scoring five goals in the group stage mathes.
Hungary took on Portugal in the opening game of Group F. Marco Rossi's side did well to hold on until the 84th minute before Portugal broke the deadlock courtesy of a goal from Raphael Guerreiro. The Dortmund man's strike was followed by a Cristiano Ronaldo brace, including a penalty in the 87th minute of the game.
The goal meant Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed Michel Platini to become the all-time top scorer at the European Championships. However, the Portuguese superstar's celebrations after the goal did not sit well with Rossi.
The Italian told La Gazzetta dello Sport:
"Cristiano Ronaldo is a great champion but at times he can be annoying. After the penalty with us he celebrated as if he had scored in the final. People notice these things."
It will be tough to confirm whether these comments were due to the frustration of not qualifying for the knockout stage of Euro 2020 or out of actual annoyance towards Cristiano Ronaldo.
Following the loss to Portugal, Hungary went on to draw their matches against both France and Germany. Their admirable performance in what was dubbed the 'Group of Death' was lauded by many.
Rossi proud of Hungary's performance despite Cristiano Ronaldo's antics
Speaking to the press following Hungary's exit from Euro 2020, Marco Rossi was full of praise for his side. He said:
"I would challenge anyone to say they knew that coming up against these teams we would get any points. The guys have done something that people will recall in years to come and they will be proud of them. (My players) were disappointed with the result because we went very close to advancing, which would have been incredible, unimaginable, but unfortunately even in the greatest fairytales there can be less than happy endings."
Rossi asked the Hungarian team to take heart from their brave performances in the Euros. He said:
"That said, I am very proud of my players tonight. From a technical perspective we are not the best in the world, but we are for every other perspective. Tactically, helping each other out, digging in, sacrificing... I am very proud to coach this side. I congratulated all lads, told them, they need to keep their heads up, because two months from now World Cup qualifying resumes."
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