By Eric Krakauer
It was the whiff that summed up most of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Euro 2016.
Having found space in between Poland’s center-backs, Ronaldo was unable to put a finishing touch to Joao Moutinho’s delightful pinpoint lofted pass.
Had Portugal not vanquished Poland in the penalty shootout, the miss, as well as the captain’s subsequent exasperated cringing, would have been all anyone would talk about. Though, as it stands, it is just one in a compilation of wasted opportunities that anyone would more readily associate with a Cristiano Ronaldo career lowlight reel than a month long tournament.
Rui Patricio save! #Portugal #POR #POLPOR #Euro2016 #SportingCP pic.twitter.com/EdCWtXca5M
— Eric Krakauer (@bigsoccerheadNY) June 30, 2016
And yet, here we are, only a day removed from Portugal’s semifinal clash with Wales, and two games away from what was surely unthinkable after an opening tie against Iceland.
What makes this semifinal run particularly notable is not that Portugal has failed to win a single tournament game within 90 minutes – as you’ve heard ad nauseam – but that it’s happened despite Ronaldo’s profligacy, essentially shattering the whole “Ronaldo plus 10” narrative.
What about the game against Hungary, you ask? Well, that’s his tournament’s beautiful statistical aberration. His clinical finishes, as well as that incisive assist, did rescue the team from utter humiliation. But then again, one could argue that it was his wastefulness that mired the team in such precarious circumstances, in the first place.
That sounds a lot harsher than it’s meant to. After all, Ronaldo is not a one man team, no matter how many times he seemed to prove the very opposite. Remember, this is the player who single-handedly laid waste to a Swedish team en route to the last World Cup, and who netted nearly half of Portugal’s goals in order to qualify for Euro 2016.
What this tournament has proven so far is that Ronaldo is only human – perhaps, a little too human for Portuguese supporters. But this turn of events may actually be a good thing. Portugal is in the semifinals of a major tournament and their best player has not yet delivered anything close to what we are used to.
For the optimists, that might mean that the Portuguese talisman is on the verge of shaking off the rust and putting a performance against Wales that many a pundit has claimed is missing from his repertoire of footballing excellence – that defining moment that bookmarks an illustrious career. For the pessimist, it merely signifies that Fernando Santos has figured out a Plan B, and that bodes well for a national team that hasn’t had an alternative to Ronaldo-dependency.
Of course, Plan B has not exactly translated into entertaining football. Portugal’s games have been pretty dreary conservative affairs. Still, where has aesthetically pleasing football gotten Portugal? At Euro 2000, the likes of Luis Figo, Rui Costa, and João Pinto put on tremendous attacking displays only to be ousted by eventual champions, France, in a controversial semifinal. The same happened in the 2006 World Cup. Zinedine Zidane and co. were too insurmountable an obstacle for a Portuguese team voted the tournament’s most entertaining.
In Wales, Portugal has an opponent that is very similar to itself before Euro 2016 kicked off. In order for Wales to win, their superstar, Gareth Bale, will have to deliver the kind of performance Cristiano Ronaldo has accustomed us to. Especially since Aaron Ramsey will be watching from the sidelines.
Yes, the Welsh have been more impressive than Portugal during the tournament. And yes, they have devised a system that is cohesive, gritty, and effective. But it would all come apart without Bale. Bale may carry himself like every other player on the team, but he is its nucleus. If the Portuguese contain him, Chris Coleman will have no Plan B.
That is where Portugal has the advantage. The Portuguese have demonstrated that they can survive without Ronaldo. Yet, I can’t help but think that they won’t have to.
Ronaldo is due for a memorable performance, and chances are he’s not going to allow his Real Madrid teammate to steal his moment.
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Follow Eric Krakauer on Twitter @bigsoccerheadny
