Earlier than Euro 2024 started, Cristiano Ronaldo was talked about as a exceptional man for all seasons. This was his sixth look at a Euros, together with being a part of Portugal’s 2016 triumph. Solely teammate Pepe has prevented him from turning into the oldest outfielder within the historical past of the competitors.
Ronaldo has scored 49 objectives in 47 video games for Al Nassr within the Saudi Professional League, and regardless of coming as much as his fortieth birthday, that led us to imagine that he nonetheless had what it took to make an affect at Euro 2024.
However plying his commerce away from European eyes in a decrease customary of league seems to have been deceptive: Ronaldo has been a shadow of his former self all summer time, and his displaying in Portugal’s goalless draw towards France within the quarter-finals the worst of the lot.
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Cristiano Ronaldo towards France: Nameless, off the tempo, wasteful
This was a surprisingly nameless efficiency for Ronaldo. In 90 minutes he managed simply 26 touches of the ball, the fewest of any of the 22 starters bar France goalkeeper Mike Maignan – which doesn’t precisely supply any solace.
Six of these touches ended with him handing the ball to France, and the majority of his time on the ball was in innocent positions out on the left wing not far previous the midway line. That is not too unusual for Ronaldo – it has been a sample of his play for years – however he normally balances it out with loads of motion contained in the field as effectively.
As soon as a towering aerial presence with a monstrous vertical leap, Ronaldo contested only one aerial duel (which, to be truthful, he received). His teammates had been unable to seek out him in harmful areas, and he was unable to get to it, with Dayot Upamecano normally the participant retaining him underneath shut consideration.
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Ronaldo’s huge situation earlier within the event was the astonishing variety of pictures he had with out success, together with his penalty in additional time within the spherical of 16, which was saved by Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
The 39 yr previous had racked up 19 efforts – eight heading in the right direction – for a complete of two.8 anticipated objectives going into the France recreation. That’s the next xG than your complete Albania, Serbia and Scotland groups every managed of their three group stage video games, and extra per 90 minutes than 16 nations had been capable of muster.
However Ronaldo’s huge situation right here was that he barely received any possibilities in any respect, managing his first effort of the sport after 63 minutes and his second on 85 minutes.
No person had fewer touches within the first-half than Cristiano Ronaldo 😳Simply 11 touches towards France to this point.#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #PORFRA pic.twitter.com/Ie8WUpkQLOJuly 5, 2024
Ronaldo was evidently even taken off free kick duties after Roberto Martinez seemingly twigged he’s been completely dreadful at them all through his Portugal profession: he’s scored only one at main tournaments regardless of representing them at each as soon as since Euro 2004, along with his solely profitable effort coming towards Spain in a 3-3 draw on the 2018 World Cup.
When Portugal received a free kick in taking pictures vary within the first half, Rio Ferdinand guess fellow BBC pundits a bottle of wine that it might be Bruno Fernandes, and never Ronaldo, who stepped as much as take it: he was right.
Ronaldo did get an opportunity to attempt his luck with 5 minutes of regular time left, after Fernandes had been substituted off. He duly smashed it straight into the wall. He is 61st unsuccessful effort in a row.
After a few bits of banana to arrange for half time, Ronaldo fairly inexplicably continued on into additional time, Martinez evidently preferring the proof of his having beforehand been good over the overwhelming proof of this summer time that he’s now, in actual fact, a bit garbage.
There was a definite feeling of Soccer Help about Ronaldo’s subsequent effort as he despatched Upemecano to the retailers earlier than racing onto a promising supply from the correct, solely to ship the ball flying up into the more and more gentle Hamburg air.
Ronaldo then resorted to sticking nearer to a centre-forward place when Portugal had been on the ball, however the one approach he was capable of get away from his man and discover house was to wander uselessly into offside positions that the French had been, in fact, solely too completely satisfied to let him occupy. The concept, evidently, was to try to get Upemacano to lose sight of him so he might out of the blue burst again in entrance of him and catch him on the hop; it did not work.
On the events he went the opposite approach, dropping deep to try to supply a passing possibility, Ronaldo was routinely ignored by his teammates, a lot to his seen consternation.
Of their pre-tournament friendlies, with Ronaldo given additional day off due to the late end of the Saudi Professional League season, Portugal seemed like a aspect who didn’t fairly know the best way to play with out Ronaldo. Within the group stage and towards Slovenia, they nearly fully seemed like a aspect desperately depending on him arising with among the previous, light magic.
Now, Portugal seem like a crew who merely want Ronaldo wasn’t there anymore. As anticipated, Ronaldo stepped as much as take Portugal’s first spot kick within the shootout after the dullest of goalless attracts, dillying and dallying in his run-up to trigger Maignan simply sufficient hesitation to fail to succeed in his shot to the underside nook, regardless of guessing appropriately.
Ronaldo, lastly, had performed his half for the evening… but it surely all proved in useless as Joao Felix struck the publish with Portugal’s fourth penalty. France remained unfaltering, sending Portugal dwelling from Germany, and probably ending essentially the most wonderful of particular person worldwide enjoying careers with a three-week lengthy whimper.
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