Portugal got the win against Wales, and at the end of the day, that is what matters most. But honestly, this was not the kind of game Cristiano Ronaldo will want to remember for too long.
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Portugal won 1-0 in Lisbon, with João Félix scoring in the 22nd minute. It was not exactly a beautiful goal either. His effort took a deflection off Ben Davies and ended up in the net. Sometimes football is just like that. You can play well and still need a little bit of luck to get the breakthrough.
And Portugal certainly played well enough to win.
They had 22 shots compared with Wales' five, controlled most of the game and looked like the team more likely to score. Wales had their moments, though, and I actually thought they showed a lot of courage considering the quality of the opposition and the fact that they were playing away from home.
But then there was Ronaldo.
Seven shots and no goal.
That is probably the first thing most people will notice when they look back at this match. There were some decent efforts, but the biggest one for me was the chance he missed from Ruben Neves' cross. With the goal there, it was the kind of opportunity you would normally expect Ronaldo to bury.
Then he eventually found the net, only for VAR to step in and rule it out for offside.
You could almost feel that it just was not going to be his night.
Still, I would not read too much into one game. Ronaldo was getting into good positions and creating chances for himself. His xG was actually 1.32, which shows that he was not exactly invisible. Sometimes a striker can do everything right and the ball simply refuses to go in.
João Félix, meanwhile, will be delighted to have scored the goal that decided the game. For him, it was a very important contribution, especially on a night when Portugal's biggest star could not find the finishing touch.
For Wales, there are positives to take despite the defeat. They were beaten by a better side on the night, but they didn't look completely overwhelmed.
Portugal have started their Nations League campaign with three points. Ronaldo hasn't scored, but there will 😊 be other nights.
Football has a funny way of giving you another chance when you least expect it.
For now, though, João Félix gets the headlines while Ronaldo is left wondering how he managed to leave Lisbon without a goal.
And this match is also sending message to Ronaldo that his body is getting tired.
Posted Using INLEO
