Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench as Portugal exited the World Cup in Qatar at the quarter-final stage after losing 1-0 to Morocco. Former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo marched down the tunnel in tears after Portugal were knocked out of the World Cup by Morocco at the quarter-finals stage.
Ronaldo was once against named among the substitutes by Fernando Santos, with the 37-year-old having been dropped to the bench for the round-of-16 victory over Switzerland. His manager was unimpressed with his reaction to being substituted in the group stage defeat to South Korea, and opted to drop the player as a result.
His replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in the last round and once again started in attack against Morocco. However, the European side were unable to secure a semi-final spot as they suffered a surprise defeat.
Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa made a howler in the first half as he attempted to claim a cross – leaving Morocco star Youssef En-Nesyri free to head the ball into an empty goal.
Ronaldo replaced Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves early on in the second half, and had a late chance to level proceedings but was denied by a smart save from the goalkeeper. Despite pushing for an equaliser, Santos’ men were unable to find a way past the African outfit, who remained solid and progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament.
After the full-time whistle was blown, the camera panned to Ronaldo. The veteran frontman was visibly upset about exiting what will almost certainly be his last World Cup, with the 37-year-old walking off the pitch in tears.
Ronaldo has scored 118 goals in 195 appearances for Portugal, but it remains to be seen if the formerĀ UnitedĀ striker will continue playing for his national side after being knocked out of the World Cup in Qatar.
