World Cup: How far can Ronaldo continue to carry Portugal?
Posted June 20, 2018 6:09 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After each matchday of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily blog will recap the day’s events, and look ahead to the next day’s slate of games.
Here’s what happened on Wednesday, in case you missed it…
THE RESULTS
Portugal 1, Morocco 0 in Moscow: Match report || match stats
Uruguay 1, Saudi Arabia 0 in Rostov: Match report || match stats
Iran 0, Spain 1 in Kazan: Match report || match stats
MAIN TALKING POINTS
A cruel fate for Morocco
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his tournament-leading fourth goal of this World Cup, and he now has 85 in service for his country, more than any other European player in history. Ronaldo’s header off a free kick was enough for Portugal to collect its first win in Russia, a result that meant Morocco became the first nation to be officially eliminated at this World Cup.
Spare a thought for the North Africans. They’ve been brilliant in this competition, and they were the better side on the balance of play on Wednesday, putting Portugal under constant pressure with their smart movement with and without the ball. Their probing attacks down the wings, especially through Noureddine Amrabat, gave the Portuguese all they could handle. Morocco’s buildup play was excellent. Its finishing wasn’t. They’re going home because they don’t have a proven goal-scorer up front.
This has to be bitter pill for Morocco, who not only outplayed Portugal, but also lost 1-0 to Iran courtesy of a late own-goal. Morocco is much better than their 0-2 record suggests – they’ve distinguished themselves with their bright attacking play and commitment to getting forward. They deserve to stick around, but it can be a cruel game sometimes.
As for Portugal, you have to wonder how long they can continue like this. Ronaldo has accounted for all four of the team’s goals at this tournament, putting his country on his shoulders in what have turned out to be two tight contests. At some point, others have to step up and relieve some of the goal-scoring burden the Real Madrid star is carrying on his shoulders if Portugal has any hopes of going far in Russia.
