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Cristiano Ronaldo had ONLY TEN touches and one shot during Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Morocco… making no impact after coming on as a substitute in what could be his last World Cup appearance
Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t make much of an impact during Portugal’s heartbreaking 1-0 World Cup loss to Morocco, after coming off the bench to have just ten touches and one shot.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has influenced many big games throughout his career, but on a night when his national team needed him to produce, Ronaldo couldn’t find the back of the net despite scoring on the 91st minute.
It was heartbreaking for Ronaldo, who despite playing 40 minutes of the game, only managed to add 10 touches and a single shot, according to WhoScored.com.
Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured) had just ten touches during Portugal’s 1-0 World Cup loss to Morocco
Ronaldo’s only chance of the game came just after 90 minutes, but was saved on goal by Bono.
The 37-year-old left the pitch in tears after Portugal were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals, the furthest they have gone in the World Cup since finishing fourth in 2006.
And it was Youssef En Nesyri who orchestrated their defeat, with the Moroccan striker burying a header from point-blank range just before half-time that goalkeeper Diogo Costa couldn’t quite prevent.
After the break, Fernando Santos decided to call his star striker into action, replacing Rubén Neves in the 51st minute, to equal the FIFA cap record for men with his 196th cap.
Ronaldo had not started in either of Portugal’s last two World Cup matches, after Santos substituted him during the 2-1 loss to South Korea, opting to play with a more youthful forward.
That had reportedly produced some friction within the Portuguese camp, with Ronaldo so incensed at his manager’s decisions to omit him from the starting line-up that he threatened to ‘walk out’ of the Portugal camp.
However, he was recalled tonight to meet his national team and despite scoring 118 goals for Portugal during a star-studded career that saw him win a 2019 European Championship and Nations League, he had limited impact. during the match.
Despite being ever-present inside the box, almost finishing off a couple of crosses, his biggest opportunity came on 91 minutes, but he was denied his 119th international goal, Moroccan goalkeeper Bono deflecting his shot with a great block. .
The 37-year-old was understandably devastated after the final whistle, with