Euro 2020 fans react to Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema half-time shirt swap

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were the stars of the show as both Portugal and France progressed to the knockout stages of Euro 2020 after a 2-2 draw in Budapest.

The former Real Madrid teammates were the only players on the scoresheet, the duo each bagging a brace for their sides, three of the four goals on the night coming from the penalty spot.

Both of Ronaldo's goals came from 12 yards, ensuring the Juventus star is now the tournament's leading marksman with five goals to his name.

Benzema's first strike was also a penalty, but his second was even more impressive, latching on to a stunning Paul Pogba pass to calmly slot his effort beyond the onrushing Rui Patricio.

At half-time, with the scores level at 1-1, cameras picked up Ronaldo and Benzema deep in conversation, the pair laughing, smiling and clearly exchanging jokes before swapping shirts as they entered the tunnel.

The incident often sparks uproar from fans whenever opposing players seemingly can't wait until full-time, or at least out of sight of the cameras to swap shirts, but neither Ronaldo nor Benzema faced much backlash.

Ronaldo actually received praise on social media, with on twitter user writing: "Ronaldo swapped shirts at half time with Benzema and swapped with Mbappe at FT, always making his fans happy."

Some fans even quipped how Benzema was 'still assisting' Ronaldo more than two years after his Los Blancos departure.

The incident is not the first time a Ronaldo shirt swap has caused headlines, Germany full-back Robin Gosens admitted he didn't bother asking the five-time Balon D'or winner for his shirt after Die Mannschaft cruised past Portugal in game two.

This was due to a previous incident in 2019, where Atalanta had beaten Juventus in the Coppa Italia quarter-final, Gosens asked to swap shirts with Ronaldo but the star simply said 'no' and walked away.

"I was completely blushed and ashamed," Gosens wrote in his autobiography. "I went away and felt small."

Source: Read Full Article