[ad_1]
DOHA, Qatar — At the peak of his powers, it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s part-vibe, part-message.
His “calma, eu estou aqui” boast (“Relax, I am here.”) from 2012 with Real Madrid would naturally become a meme. And throughout the years, it usually worked out. It’s what he tried to channel when — six minutes into the second half of Sunday’s World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco and with Portugal a goal down — coach Fernando Santos finally sent him on.
Even as the clock ticked away and the Moroccan roar grew louder at Al Thumama Stadium, even as Bruno Fernandes pulled his shirt in anger like he was about to Hulk-smash, even as Pepe waved his arms pleading with the referee, even as Joao Felix through his arms in the air, even as Portugal’s attacks descended into chaos, Ronaldo exuded an almost Zen-like calm.
The chance — whether to set up a teammate or to beat Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou — would come. It would flow his way and he would seize the moment. Except, when it did, just after the board lit up showing eight minutes of injury time, his first-time contact was crisp, but not angled. And his shot was smothered by Bounou, and Morocco ran out the clock to win 1-0.
For a man who has been the center of attention for the past twenty years, his final World Cup appearance was subdued. There was no screaming, no hysterics. There was, instead, a calm, quiet professionalism, the one which, once you strip off the hype, underpinned much of his career.
The game wound down amidst the carnage of injuries and substitutions. As Santos sent on more and more attacking players, his existing attackers had to retreat: Fernandes ended up at right-back, Bernardo Silva at holding midfielder. But it’s silly to even talk about formations in the final minutes of a World Cup knockout game when one team has the lead.
The script is familiar. Morocco retreated into a dense red mass enveloping Ronaldo, Ricardo Horta and Felix, with Azzedine Ounahi and Sofyan…
[ad_2]
