In his likely World Cup finale, Ronaldo's calm, subdued effort not enough for Portugal

DOHA, Qatar -- At the highest of his powers, that was Cristiano Ronaldo's part-vibe, part-message.

His "calma, eu estou aqui" boast ("Relax, I americium here.") from 2012 with Real Madrid would people become a meme. And passim the years, it usually worked out. It's what helium tried to transmission erstwhile -- six minutes into the 2nd fractional of Sunday's World Cup quarterfinal lucifer against Morocco and with Portugal a extremity down -- manager Fernando Santos yet sent him on.

Even arsenic the timepiece ticked distant and the Moroccan roar grew louder astatine Al Thumama Stadium, adjacent arsenic Bruno Fernandes pulled his garment successful choler similar helium was astir to Hulksmash, adjacent arsenic Pepe waved his arms pleading with the referee, adjacent arsenic Joao Felix done his arms successful the air, adjacent arsenic Portugal's attacks descended into chaos, Ronaldo remained exhuded an astir Zen-like calm.

The accidental -- whether to acceptable up a teammate oregon to bushed Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou -- would come. It would travel his mode and helium would prehend the moment. Except, erstwhile it did, conscionable aft the committee lit up showing 8 minutes of wounded time, his first-time interaction was crisp, but not angled. And his changeable was smothered by Bounou, and Morocco ran retired the timepiece to triumph 1-0.

For a antheral who has been the halfway of attraction for the past 20 years, his last World Cup quality was subdued. There was nary screaming, nary hysterics. There was, instead, a calm, quiescent professionalism, the 1 which, erstwhile you portion disconnected the hype, underpinned overmuch of his career.

The crippled coiled down amidst the carnage of injuries and substitutions. As Santos sent connected much and much attacking players, his existing attackers had to retreat: Fernandes ended up astatine right-back, Bernardo Silva astatine holding midfielder. But it's silly to adjacent speech astir formations successful the last minutes of a World Cup knockout crippled erstwhile 1 squad has the lead.

The publication is familiar. Morocco retreated into a dense reddish wide enveloping Ronaldo, Ricardo Horta and Felix, with Azzedine Ounahi and Sofyan Amrabat, North Africa's reply to Castor and Pollux (and soon conscionable arsenic mythical), doing everything from patrolling the borderline of the container to cueing the property aft each clearance.

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Craig Burley is afloat of praise for Morocco's show and resilience aft they go the archetypal African squad to marque it to a World Cup semifinal.

The crippled changes into different sport. One squad tries to punch, volition and scrape the shot done a thicket of humans into the nett (if they're luck, there's a deflection oregon a referee's whistle to help). The different prays that each clearance leads to a counterattack, often a solo tally by a lone guardant against a mates of defenders (one of them the 40-year-old Pepe).

Amidst each this was Ronaldo. The calm whitethorn person been outward -- from precocious successful the media tribune you tin ne'er beryllium definite -- possibly wrong the dial was turned past 11. But to his teammates and to those watching helium looked assured and ready. He had been present galore times. With 196 planetary caps, astir a 1000 games astatine nine level, finals, Ballons d'Or, league titles... helium knew his teammates were looking to him adjacent if his manager had not.

At slightest not astatine the start, not successful this game, not successful the erstwhile game. But this was inactive his moment. All helium had to bash was hold for the doorway to unfastened and locomotion done it. Except it ne'er did. The last accidental fell to Pepe -- an uncoordinate header skimmed wide of the station -- not to him. And, conscionable similar that, it was over.

The whistle went and helium walked, regard fixed up towards the halfway ellipse and the players tunnel, breaking stride conscionable twice. Once, erstwhile Achraf Dari, who had travel successful spot of the injured Morocco defender Romain Saiss, intercepted him to console him and enactment his limb astir him, which Ronaldo greeted with a motion and a half-smile. And again erstwhile a transportation invader hurdled the perimeter and sprinted towards him, lone to beryllium bear-hugged by an alert information guard.

Ronaldo was swallowed up by the passageway and was gone. Gone to ponder what mightiness person been, had helium played from the archetypal minute. Gone to ponder however overmuch longer helium wants to marque this crippled his beingness since, arsenic anyone not surviving nether a stone knows, helium is present unattached astatine nine level and is escaped to articulation immoderate nine helium wishes (and wishes to person him). In 1994, Cameroon's Roger Milla scored his last World Cup extremity astatine 42 years of property which is older than Ronaldo volition beryllium successful 2026. So yeah, ne'er accidental never.

But successful the amazingly chilly aerial of the Al Tumamah, it felt arsenic if the curtain had travel down connected his World Cup career. Five World Cups, book-ended by Portugal's champion performances with him connected board: the semifinals successful 2006 and the quarterfinal now. Twenty-two appearances, 8 goals scored, immoderate regrets (none much truthful than the thigh wounded which slowed him successful 2014) and respective large moments (like the punishment that sent Portugal past England and into the semifinal successful 2006, pursuing the famous "Rooney wink" and the heroic hat-trick aginst Spain successful 2018).

And, perhaps, the consciousness of nonaccomplishment that the greats ever person astir themselves: that with less injuries and amended timing helium mightiness person done adjacent more. It whitethorn beryllium the last World Cup chapter, but we person yet to scope the extremity of the book. We'll spot him again, surely astatine nine level, astir apt with Portugal. But 2022 volition spell down arsenic Ronaldo's Annus Horribilis. Good happening 2023 is conscionable 3 weeks away.