Cristiano admits disappointment but says Portugal must believe
Cristiano Ronaldo admitted he was "sad" after his penalty miss on Saturday but says Portugal must still believe in their Euro 2016 dream.
Portugal were held to a goalless stalemate by Austria at the Parc des Princes in Paris - a second consecutive draw after their Group F opener against Iceland - but Ronaldo is remaining optimistic ahead of Wednesday evening's crunch clash against Hungary in Lyon.
Ronaldo, making his 128th appearance for Portugal - a national record - had been hoping the Austria game would see him become the first player to score at four consecutive European Championship finals.
However, the 31-year-old missed his chance after his penalty shot in the 79th minute came back off the post.
"Obviously it was a goal to be the most capped international player, and also to be the national team's top scorer," Ronaldo said.
"But I'm a bit sad, because this wasn't the way I wanted to break this record. The most beautiful way would have been...," he added, shaking his head.
"It wasn't something we wanted," he said of the result. "We had a lot of chances and we did well, but we weren't able to finish.
"I also missed some chances - a penalty and some other chances. But that's part of football. We need to continue to believe."
The Real Madrid star is, nonetheless, remaining optimistic about Portugal's chances of progressing further into the competition.
"The players, we need to think that it's still possible," he added. "If we win (against Hungary), we qualify. And also the Portuguese people, the fans who love Portugal, they also have to believe in it.
"The bad won't last forever, so we need to believe that things will go better."
Despite a disappointing performance, Ronaldo made one man who ran onto the pitch very happy by joining in a selfie with him, before the elated supporter was bundled away by security staff.
The 0-0 draw at the Parc des Princes leaves Hungary, who gained a point in a 1-1 draw with Iceland in Marseille earlier on Saturday, as the surprise Group F leaders with a game to play.
Austria must win their final match with Iceland at the Stade de France to avoid going home.
