Cristiano Ronaldo struck a brace and also missed a penalty as Portugal cruised to a hard-fought 4-1 win over a gritty Latvia.
The Seleccao skipper put the hosts ahead with a nervy spot kick but missed a chance to double his tally when presented with another opportunity from 12 yards, smashing his effort against the post. The visitors then punished the European champions with an equalising goal soon after, but William Carvalho, Ronaldo, and Bruno Alves all struck late in the game to ensure full 3 points on matchday four.
Here are some of the major talking points from the game.
1.Ronaldo extends his remarkable qualifying run
Having struck 5 times in just 2 appearances, the Portuguese captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo plundered in another pair of strikes to draw level with Poland’s Robert Lewandowski at the top of the goalscoring charts in the qualifying with 7 goals.
The 31-year old had already tested the Latvian goalkeeper with 2 clinical efforts but managed to get his goal in the 28th minute with a fiercely taken penalty. The Real Madrid man, however, squandered another spot-kick in the second half by hitting the bar but made up for the mistake with a thunderous volley 5 minutes from time.
The Real Madrid superstar has now scored 68 international goals, which as much as Gerd Muller and Robbie Keane, and trails only Miroslav Klose (71), and Ferenc Puskas (84) in Europe’s all-time list.
2.Yet, Cristiano Ronaldo is on the decline
Yes, he got a brace; yes he is among the highest scorers in the qualifying, but there’s still no denying the downfall in Ronaldo’s game. Although the Portuguese ace was threatening all night, he lacked the cutting edge to bury previous chances; he also missed a penalty, his sixth in the last ten attempts.
The anchorman he is, Ronaldo will score goals. But slowly and steadily, he’s beginning to learn the limitations of his body and the effect it has on his game. The Real Madrid winger is on the wane and the handful of missed in the game cannot suggest it more clearly.
It is customary this season for Ronaldo to waste a whole host of chances with Los Blancos and now with Portugal but he still manages to get amongst the goals; but these are clear indications that the Ol’Father Time is catching up with him.
3.Latvia punched above their weight
Ranked 110 places below the European champions, Latvia entered the game as clear underdogs and the stage was set for another goal-crazy evening for Fernando Santos’ men, but the Baltic nation had other plans.
Portugal struggled largely in the first half to create clear-cut chances despite all the dominance as Latvia kept things tight at the back. Ronaldo, Andre Gomes, Andre Silva all had shots on target with excellent strikes, but Latvian shot-stopper Andris Vanins made equally excellent stops to keep the scores level.
The minnows then managed to pull a shocker shortly after Ronaldo missed from the spot as Arturs Zjuzins equalised with a ferocious strike, as Latvia appeared to take a shock point off Portugal. Although their resistance was broken in the final few minutes of the game as the hosts bagged all three to comfortably sail through, Latvia punched above their weight with a confident display.
4.Quaresma the driving force behind Portugal’s comeback
Besiktas forward Ricardo Quaresma came on as a half-time substitution for Portugal and turned out to be the catalyst in his side’s fine finish to a game that was otherwise slipping away with two brilliant assists.
After watching his side struggle in the final third, Santos threw in Quaresma as a small tactical tweak during the break and it proved to be a coup de maitre. The 33-year old added the much-needed urgency to Portugal’s attack and capped off his evening with two pinpoint assists to William Carvalho and Cristiano Ronaldo, highlighting his importance to the team.
Quaresma has been in a fine form for Besiktas this season and has certainly carried the rich vein of form onto the international front.
5.Portugal bid adieu to a historic 2016
The year of 2016 will go down in Portugal’s history as the most memorable year for the for the football team. Not only have they ended the year with just a single competitive defeat, but also ended a long drought for an international title by winning the UEFA Euro 2016 in France.
The Seleccao had improved considerably ever since Fernando Santos took over, yet no one had put their money on his team to win the European championship. Portugal started as the underdogs but grew from strength to strength to achieve the impossible.
The odds on them won’t be the same like before hereafter, with Portugal now among the strong favourites for the upcoming Confederations Cup and even the FIFA World Cup. Only time will tell where they go from here.
