Cristiano Ronaldo defended after reacting angrily to the Portugal substitute

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez defended a distraught Cristiano Ronaldo after he angrily kicked a water bottle after being sent off during their 2-0 defeat by Georgia.

The Al Nassr striker managed a little more than an hour before being pointed by Martinez, who was looking for an answer to the goals of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze when he replaced Ronaldo with Goncalo Ramos.

However, the answer was not forthcoming, with Ronaldo watching from the sidelines as Portugal suffered the biggest upset in the history of the European Championships against a Georgian side ranked 66 places below them in the FIFA world rankings.

Before he sat on the bench, Ronaldo was seen kicking a water bottle, letting his frustrations boil over after a tough outing.

Ronaldo had been booked earlier in the game for his exultation towards the referee when he went to the ground following an altercation with defender Luka Lochoshvili, who was seen to have grabbed the Portugal forward's shirt but avoided conceding a penalty.

Martinez insisted after the game that Ronaldo should have been awarded a “clear” penalty as he questioned the consistency of VAR, which later decided to award Mikautadze for Georgia's second goal.

“Sometimes we were unlucky,” Martinez told the media. “VAR was inconsistent, if it was a penalty for Antonio Silva, it was even more clear for Ronaldo.

“Georgia had the game of their life and we just didn't match the intensity.”

Ronaldo's chaotic night didn't end there as, on his way off the pitch, he avoided an awkward altercation with his fan.

A fan jumped on Ronaldo as he walked down the tunnel and was pushed by security before making contact with the 39-year-old, who was also targeted by a number of attackers on the pitch during Portugal's win over Turkey earlier in the tournament. .

Portugal have been drawn against Slovenia in the last 16 of this tournament, and their clash on Monday night is the last game to be decided before the quarter-final stage begins.

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