As you know, the main time of this match ended in a draw 0: 0, and the Portuguese won the penalty shootout. Wayne Rooney was sent off the pitch in the 62nd minute for unsportsmanlike conduct. Then the England’s striker got angry with his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and pushed him away.
A great response followed this episode. Then they thought that the relationship between the teammates was mixed.
The Times recorded an interview with Wayne Rooney, where the player recalled this episode.
Former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho has broken the rules of the game against me. Referee Horatio Elizondo did not consider this moment a violation of the rules of the game, and I kicked Carvalho’s leg.
I knew I deserved a red card. After returning to the dressing room, I watched the rest of the game on a small TV and thought, “If we win this match, I will miss the World Cup semi-finals and the final due to disqualification, and if we lose, the defeat will be my fault. That was the worst feeling I have ever experienced in football.”
“It was important to talk to him”
I was holding a phone in my hand. I was getting a lot of messages; they were writing about Ronaldo. When he ran in and told Elizondo to show me a red card, of course, I pushed him away. At that moment, I couldn’t even believe what he was doing. However, I sat in the dressing room, where I had enough time to relax and think.
I imagined myself in Ronaldo’s place. Would I act like him? Probably yes. Would I go to a judge to show him a red card? If he deserved the red and it would help my team, yes. I thought, “In the first half, when he simulated, I tried him to that to get the yellow card.”
So I calmed down. After the match, I saw Ronaldo in the tunnel. I thought it was important to talk to him in time, face to face. He showed himself to be so anxious and apologized. But then I also took into account the interests of the club.
I told Cristiano that I had no problem with him. I wished success at the World Cup and said to them that we would see each other in a few weeks, and we should win the Premier League together.” – Rooney said.