Watch: Fan invades pitch during Portugal vs Bosnia game, lifts Cristiano Ronaldo in the air

In an odd interaction, Cristiano Ronaldo was raised into the air by a pitch invader during Portugal’s triumph over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday. The former European champions easily won in Lisbon thanks to a first-half goal from Bernardo Silva and a brace from Bruno Fernandes. 

A fan wearing a Portugal flag onto the field to greet Ronaldo, which has been a semi-regular occurrence whenever the 38-year-old has been playing for his nation over the past several years, temporarily interrupting the game. Before hoisting his idol into the air and hugging him, the fan managed to get close to his hero before many stewards arrived to haul him away.

The fan outran security guards by darting to another side of the ground, but not before joining Ronaldo as he witnessed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s signature goal celebration. The fan then bolted off with a bright smile on his face. Before the intruder was ultimately apprehended by the stewards chasing after him and brought off the pitch, Ronaldo handled the situation nicely as he grinned and joked alongside them.

Here’s the video: 

A pitch invader with Cristiano Ronaldo 😭 pic.twitter.com/xpc2GUnkgf

— TC (@totalcristiano) June 17, 2023

In the closing stages of the Saudi Pro League season, Ronaldo was warming up before appearing for Al-Nassr against Al-Tawoun when he was nearly struck by an overly eager pitch invader. The fan approached the former Manchester United star as he had been going through his routine with his teammates. The fan fell as he tried to reach his idol on the touchline and just missed snatching Ronaldo’s legs from beneath him.

On Saturday, Ronaldo earned his 199th international appearance for Portugal against Bosnia, but despite his best efforts during the whole 90 minutes, he was unable to score a goal. Before the end of the first half, he did manage to score with a looping header, but his joy was short-lived when the goal was disallowed for offside.

In the Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Portugal romped to victory despite Ronaldo not scoring a single of them, as the European nation extended their advantage to the first position of their group. As a result of their three victories, they are presently two points above Slovakia in second position, while Bosnia has dropped behind Luxembourg and is now in fourth place.