Early in the second half, Ronaldo tried to take on the entire German defence alone. Almost inevitably, he was quickly and easily dispossessed, allowing Joachim Low's men to break and engineer an opening for Mesut Ozil that really should have been taken. All the while, Ronaldo had remained on halfway, hands on hips, cheeks puffed out, clearly bemused by the futility of his efforts.
By that stage, Portugal were already 3-0 down. The game was over – and Ronaldo knew it. He had denied beforehand that he had anything to prove on the game’s grandest stage but there was no denying that he had arrived in Brazil intent on improving significantly upon a record of two goals from 48 previous shots on goal in World Cup competition. He was desperate to show the watching world what he was capable of. At Arena Fonte Nova, he did not get a chance to.
Ronaldo will also undoubtedly feel betrayed. Pepe is one of the senior members of the squad. He is a colleague at both international and club level. Ronaldo’s frustration was therefore understandable. As were his attempts to try to drag Portugal back into the game all by himself.
Its unfortunate one tree cannot make a forest.
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