Gol Pembuka Nani Dibalas Bjarnason, Portugal vs Islandia Berakhir 1-1
Ronaldo and Co Fail to Win as Bjarnason Cancels Out Nani Opener
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
KETIKA saat yang menentukan bagi Cristiano Ronaldo tiba, ia tampaknya tidak berharap banyak. Sebuah umpan silang melengkung indah dari Luis Nani turun sempurna diarahkan pada sang kapten Portugal, namun umpan tersebut tidak dapat dimanfaatkan dengan baik untuk menciptakan gol.
Terlalu banyak waktu? Mungkin. Terlalu mudah? Mungkin.
Apapun masalahnya, Ronaldo - mungkin merupakan penyundul bola terbaik di jagat Eropa - Namun kiper Hannes Thor Halldorsson berada dalam posisi yang tepat dan mencegah bola masuk ke gawang yang dikawalnya.
Upaya Portugal menggempur pertahanan Islandia akhirnya membuatkan hasil pada menit ke-31. Gol yang membawa pasukan Fernando Santos unggul dilesakkan Nani.
Nani menjebol gawang Islandia yang dijaga Hannes Thor Halldorsson memanfaatkan umpan dari Andre Gomes. Pemain tengah Valencia itu menyodorkan umpan akurat ke depan gawang sehingga Nani dengan mudah melesakkan bola ke gawang lawan.
Memasuki babak kedua Portugal tetap menyerang untuk menambah keunggulan. Peluang sempat didapat Ronaldo namun diblok pemain Islandia.
Islandia justru berhasil mencuri gol dan menyamakan skor menjadi 1-1 pada menit ke-50. Gol yang membuat posisi menjadi imbang yang dilesakkan oleh Birkir Bjarnason.
Bjarnason mampu melesakkan bola ke gawang Portugal yang dijaga Rui Patricio setelah memanfaatkan umpan Gudmundsson. Pemain bernomor punggung delapan itu sudah berada di depan gawang Portugal ketika menerima umpan jarak jauh dari sisi kanan yang dikirim Gudmundsson, seperti dilansir MailOnline.
WHEN THE defining moment of Cristiano Ronaldo’s night arrived, he really couldn’t have asked for better. A beautiful curled cross from Luis Nani dropped perfectly for the Portugal captain, who had eased intelligently back from his marker to create space for a header from six yards.
Too much time? Perhaps. Too easy? Maybe.
Whatever the case, Ronaldo – perhaps the best header of the ball in European football – placed his late attempt straight at Iceland’s goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson and the chance to win this game was gone.
After that, Ronaldo was lost to the night – to the team effort – in a mist of frustration. He can get like this, especially when playing for his country. There were two late free-kicks that would have terrified the Icelanders as they hung on for a point but there were shrugs and some waving of the arms and, at the final whistle, a pursuit of the referee to complain about an injustice that only he can have noticed.
So this turned out to be another night when Euro 2016 delivered a story about a team rather than an individual. It has been the theme of the tournament so far and to the chapters written already by Wales and Hungary we can add another scrawled in that lovely royal blue of Iceland.
Lars Lagerback and Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team arrived in France confident that they could surprise people. They had done it in qualifying, beating Holland twice.
But they had to prove it all over again now that they are actually here and this was a tough opening assignment against a Portugal team that looks a little more balanced than previous models.