The captain of the Seleção was forced to play a supporting role to another player wearing the No. 7 jersey, which almost led him to lose his composure.
The match on Wednesday in Gelsenkirchen was expected to showcase Cristiano Ronaldo as the main attraction, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia stole the spotlight as Georgia defeated Portugal 2-0. The two No. 7 players had vastly different performances.
After just 65 minutes of play, and shortly after Kvaratskhelia's teammate had given him a quick peck on the head for drawing a foul at the end of another astonishing dribble, Ronaldo was substituted off the field.
The Napoli winger received a warm reception after regaining his composure. He not only scored the first goal with a well-executed finish but had also been outplaying Portugal, similar to the way Ronaldo would dominate opponents.
To give credit where it's due, 'Kvaradona', as he is known in Naples, had strong support from Georges Mikautadze, who helped Georgia reach the round of 16 in Euro 2024, their first major international tournament. Mikautadze won a penalty kick against the struggling Antonio Silva, who was also at fault for Kvaratskhelia's early goal in the second minute.
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