On the early hours of July 2nd, Portugal will face Slovenia in the round of 16 of the European Championship.
Ahead of the match, Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo reports that this will be the 22nd encounter between forward Cristiano Ronaldo and goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
The Portuguese captain and the Slovenian skipper are familiar foes, having clashed frequently in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. According to Mundo Deportivo, they have met 21 times in their careers, with Ronaldo scoring 11 goals and Oblak keeping him at bay on 16 occasions. Ten of those came during Ronaldo’s time at Real Madrid, four with Juventus, one with Manchester United, and one at the international level.
It’s worth mentioning that in the 2022 Champions League Round of 16, it was Oblak’s clean sheet that knocked Ronaldo’s Manchester United out of the competition, which could potentially have been the last chapter of Ronaldo’s Champions League journey.
In the final of the 2015-16 Champions League, the two also crossed paths. Oblak kept a clean sheet against Ronaldo throughout regular time and extra time, but in the penalty shootout, Ronaldo found the back of the net, ultimately helping Real Madrid lift the trophy.