Portugal’s Euro 2024 Group F win against Turkey in Dortmund on Saturday was halted four times by supporters running onto the pitch for selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, now playing his club football in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr, smiled and posed for a picture with a young boy who evaded security to run onto the playing surface in the 70th minute.
The child, aged around 10-years-old, was hugged by Ronaldo before running away from security stewards until he was unable to escape their attentions on the side of the pitch.
When he was being led away, stewards and substitutes on the touchline patted the boy on the head and the crowd inside the stadium cheered as he waved while being led away.
A teenage boy then attempted to repeat the stunt 15 minutes later, but Portugal captain Ronaldo threw his arms in the air and waved him away before security stopped the youngster from reaching the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player.
On both occasions, German referee Felix Zwayer was forced to delay the game until the youngsters were removed from the pitch.
Two more supporters, this time adult males, ran onto the pitch in stoppage time and headed towards Ronaldo with their phones before being stopped by security.
And finally a fifth supporter repeated the trick once the final whistle had been blown, not interrupting the game but getting on the pitch nonetheless.
The incidents will trigger an automatic disciplinary investigation by UEFA over security inside the stadium, which is likely to host Germany’s Round of 16 fixture and also a semifinal later in the tournament.
