Dortmund (Germany): Portugal defeated Turkey by 3-0 in the Euro 2024 as they dominated the proceedings throughout the game. The game became one of the talking points of the tournament not for Portugal's gameplay but for the multiple pitch invasions during the game in pursuit of clicking a selfie with Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo. The match was interrupted several times due to these pitch invasions and Ronaldo was quite upset after a while.
As It Happened
Portugal was leading 3-0 when the first fan invaded the pitch to take a selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star took a selfie with the fan before he ran and evaded several stewards before being caught on the sidelines.
After the first invader was successful in his attempt, another one tried his luck after a few minutes and made it towards the star footballer. The play was stopped for 10 seconds and Ronaldo was visibly upset. He had to forcefully remove the hand of the invader from his neck and security removed him away from the footballing arena.
Two more fans entered the arena on the 93rd minute and then a couple of more ran into the field after the final whistle. Players from both sides were irked after multiple invasions and their facial expressions were evident of them being annoyed.
Multiple pitch invasions
Security of players
The multiple pitch invasions will now raise questions over the safety of the players as the invaders were able to breach the security despite the presence of hundreds of stewards stationed around the perimeter.
Notably, a steward also accidentally knocked out Goncalo Ramos and The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) might conduct investigation into the whole matter. UEFA has decided to increase the on-field security for the matches after the incident.
"Any incursion onto the pitch constitutes a breach of the stadium rules and will result in expulsion from the stadium, a ban from all tournament matches and the filing of a formal criminal complaint for trespass," UEFA said in an official statement.
Portugal has now qualified for the round of 16 and they will play Georgia in the final group stage to finish at the top of the group.
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