Ronaldo fails again in likely last chance to win World Cup

DOHA: Cristiano Ronaldo choked up with emotion as the tears ran down his cheeks. He momentarily covered his face with his hand, but couldn’t hide his disappointment. This moment was too big.

It was likely the last World Cup match for the 37-year-old Ronaldo, and probably his last chance to win soccer’s biggest prize. When it mattered most, he couldn’t conjure up the kind of soccer magic that has made him one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen. Ronaldo was dropped from the starting lineup for the second straight match on Saturday.

The five-time player of the year came on as a substitute in the second half with his team already trailing, but his one real chance was saved easily by the opposing goalkeeper. In the end, Morocco beat the Portuguese 1-0 to become the first African team to reach the tournament’s semifinals. It was a sad ending for Ronaldo on the day he made his 196th international appearance, tied for the most in the men’s game with Kuwait forward Badr Al-Mutawa.

He leaves Qatar as the only player to have scored in five World Cups but remains with eight goals at the tournament, one shy of Eusébio’s record with Portugal. Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in men’s international soccer with 118 goals, did not say anything about his future after the match, going straight to the team bus from the locker room. He had said before the World Cup he did not plan to retire from the national team, and that he planned to play at least through the 2024 European Championship in Germany — eight years after he helped Portugal win its only major title at Euro 2016.