End of an Era: Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo fails to find the net in group stage for the first time

Cristiano Ronaldo's remarkable scoring run in the group stages of major international competitions finally ended at EURO 2024.

The 39-year-old Al Nassr star, who has been a consistent goal-scoring machine for Portugal over the years, failed to find the back of the net in his team's final group stage match against tournament debutants Georgia on Wednesday night.

His goal-scoring streak in the group stages of international tournaments dates back to EURO 2004, where he had found the net in all ten previous group stage matches he had played in.

This remarkable run includes the European Championships (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020) and the World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022).

However, against a resolute and disciplined Georgian defence, Ronaldo was effectively caged from start to finish, unable to add to his impressive tally of group stage goals.

The defeat marked a disappointing end to Portugal's group stage campaign, as they were stunned 2-0 by the tournament debutants, who secured a historic place in the quarter-finals of EURO 2024.

While Ronaldo and his teammates will be eager to bounce back in the knockout stages, the end of his remarkable goal-scoring streak in the group phase of international competitions will undoubtedly be a personal setback for the legendary forward.

Ronaldo and Portugal will now turn their attention to the next round as the focus will shift to how the team can regroup and mount a strong challenge to capture the European Championship title, despite this unexpected setback in the group stage.

But first, they will have to ensure the shock result against Georgia won’t repeat itself when they face another tricky side, Slovenia, next in the quarters.