Football as the drama of life

How can Christiano Ronaldo miss a penalty?

And yet missed a penalty he did! On Monday 1 July 2024, in a match in the Euro24 competition, which would decide whether it was Portugal or Slovenia that would enter the quarter-finals of the competition.

What Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d’Or (the most coveted trophy a football player can win) five times, thought of the failure, was revealed to the millions of people who saw the game on TV.

Ronaldo cried like a baby. Nothing could hide his despair. His country was playing against a “minnow” in the European football stakes. The “minnow” had, however, played front-ranked Portugal to a 0-0 draw.

The game had progressed, but as the Portuguese players did, they could not get the ball past the Slovenian goalkeeper. And then, fortunately, a penalty was awarded to Portugal.

The supporters of Portugal heaved a huge sigh of relief. They had a maestro on their side. A maestro who was mentioned alongside only one other player when it came to assessing who was the “best player” in the world – Leonardo Messi. Surely, Ronaldo would make short work of the penalty kick?

The ball was placed at the penalty spot. And the referee blew his whistle. Ronaldo kicked the ball hard. He missed.

It was unbelievable. This was what Ghanaian football fans call a “koko” shot (as easy to consume as “porridge”!) No one realised that as much as Ronaldo himself. And his ego dissolved and turned up in his face as tears. He could not be comforted by his teammates. He just wept and wept.

But he didn’t leave the field. Which player would allow himself to replace Ronaldo? In any case, which coach would dare to substitute someone else for the one and only Ronaldo?

Ninety minutes soon came to an end. An extra time of 30 minutes was played. Still, the score remained stuck at Portugal 0 Slovenia 0.

A penalty shootout was ordered by the referee. Which players would Portugal select to take its penalties?

This was where men were separated from boys. Portugal selected Ronaldo to take the first penalty.

Everyone watching the match must have had a heart-stop that lasted at least half a second!

Suppose?... Suppose?...

Ronaldo went for the ball as if his previous disaster with

a penalty had ever occurred. He just shot the ball into the net. It was Ronaldo resuming the business of scoring, “as usual”.

Ronaldo’s insouciance probably unnerved] the Slovakian players. Anyway, the player who took their first penalty missed.” The Portuguese player who followed Ronaldo, however, also scored. The penalty shootout was won by Portugal by –3 good goals to nil!. And Portugal proceeded to the next step in the competition.

Now, what do you call that? Drama of the first order, wasn’t it? And like drama in our lives, it teaches us never to give up, no matter how “onerous” or impossible” the obstacles we happen to encounter in our endeavours in life appear to us to be.

Cry, if you must, yes! (like Ronaldo did). But if another opportunity arises for you, don’t reject it, just because you had failed once in attempting to accomplish a similar objective. “All days are not equal!” (proclaims the sign-board of one of our now disappearing “mammy trucks”.) Another sign-board might well expand that notion with another motto that says:

”Experience is the best teacher!”

Maybe it's because the dramas in the game of football take so much after the troubles we face on the wider pitches of worldly life

that the game enchants so many millions of people?

What does a bad offside decision by a referee against your favourite team remind you of? When your favourite scorer is brutally cut down in the “18” of the rival team and the referee allows the match to go on as if nothing untoward had happened, how do you feel?

If you are an ardent Ghanaian football fan, and you were to run into Luiz Suarez of Uruguay walking alone, on a street corner in the dark at night, what idea would come into your mind, before you think better of it?

Hahahahahaha!

The match ended after the normal time of 90 minutes.