LONDON (AP) — Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur said she was crying along with Cristiano Ronaldo when the star striker missed a penalty in Portugal’s win over Slovenia at the European Championship.
Jabeur is a huge soccer fan and occasionally shows off her foot skills by deftly flicking a loose tennis ball into the air.
She was asked about Euro 2024 on Thursday after she won her second-round match at Wimbledon.
“I was watching Portugal last time (on Monday). When Cristiano missed the penalty, I was crying with him because I love him so much,” she said.
Ronaldo was in tears after his penalty in the first period of extra time was saved by Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
It was still 0-0 after the second period of extra time, so it was decided by a shootout. Ronaldo converted Portugal’s first one en route to a 3-0 penalty shootout win.
“The emotion of the sport, it’s unbelievable,” Jabeur said. “What I love the most is the crowd, they really were supporting him, how strong mentally he is after missing the penalty and then scoring again is unbelievable.”
Portugal will face France in the quarterfinals on Friday in Hamburg, a rematch of the 2016 final that Portugal won in Paris after Ronaldo went off injured early.
Jabeur said she was “really stressed” pulling for England in their 2-1 win over Slovakia. England faces Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Her assessment of the tournament overall?
“I’ve been watching a lot of the matches. A bit disappointed of some matches. I thought it was going to be more exciting.”
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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024