Chelsea returned to the Premier League's top four after beating Tottenham 1-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to Enzo Fernandez's header early in the second half. Enzo Maresca's team was under pressure after limping into the international break playing football that had lost its appeal to home fans, but they mainly outperformed a dismal Spurs team that failed to capitalise on the rising anger surrounding the home side. As when these clubs met in north London last season, VAR played an important part, ruling out goals from Moises Caicedo and Pape Sarr after halftime, but Chelsea deserved the points as their Champions League campaign resumed. They had started with significantly more zest than in previous lackluster performances. Nicolas Jackson's return to the team was denied one-on-one by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario in the first minute, followed by Micky van de Ven's errant clearance ricocheting off him and against the post, before Malo Gusto rifled Marc Cucurella...
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez defended an angry Cristiano Ronaldo after he kicked a water bottle after being substituted in the shocking 2-0 loss to Georgia.
Ronaldo was seen kicking a water bottle before taking his position on the bench, expressing his emotions following a tough outing.
Ronaldo had been penalized earlier in the game for his outbursts at the referee after colliding with centre-back Luka Lochoshvili, who was obviously pulling the Portugal striker's shirt but managed to avoid a penalty.
Martinez maintained after the game that Ronaldo should have been handed a "clear" penalty, questioning the VAR's consistency before awarding a spot kick to Mikautadze for Georgia's second.
"At times, we were unlucky," Martinez told reporters. "The VAR was inconsistent; if there was a penalty on Antonio Silva, Ronaldo could see it more clearly.
"Georgia had the game of their lives and we didn't match the intensity."
Ronaldo's tumultuous evening didn't finish there; as he exited the pitch, he nearly escaped a weird altercation with a fan.
As Ronaldo proceeded down the tunnel, a fan jumped over the fence and was pushed aside by security before making touch with the 39-year-old, who had previously been targeted by pitch invasions during Portugal's triumph over Turkey in the tournament.
Portugal has been drawn with Slovenia in the competition's last 16, with their match on Monday night being the last to be decided before the quarter-final stage begins.
Ronaldo's tumultuous evening didn't finish there; as he exited the pitch, he nearly escaped a weird altercation with a fan.
As Ronaldo proceeded down the tunnel, a fan jumped over the fence and was pushed aside by security before making touch with the 39-year-old, who had previously been targeted by pitch invasions during Portugal's triumph over Turkey in the tournament.
Portugal has been drawn with Slovenia in the competition's last 16, with their match on Monday night being the last to be decided before the quarter-final stage begins.
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