Ronaldo in Tears After Hopes of Winning World Cup Are Shattered
| LAST UPDATE 12/11/2022
The G.O.A.T - Cristiano Ronaldo - has officially exited the world stage. Portugal's defeat in a 1-0 match by Morocco during the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup left everyone stunned. The former Manchester United player was seen being escorted off the field back to the dressing room by a staff member as he was unable to hold back his tears. Here's a closer look.
While Ronaldo’s chances of winning the 2022 World Cup are now gone, he did not leave completely empty-handed. He tied the record for the most caps in international soccer with 196 appearances playing for Portugal. The other record holder is Bader Al-Mutawa of Kuwait. He scored one goal in Qatar, which helped him to set the record to become the first men’s player to score in five World Cups. Since 2006, Ronaldo has appeared in the World Cup. Over the five appearances, he has scored eight goals. Though this World Cup will likely be the 37-year-old’s last. As he nears the end of his career, Ronaldo’s last chances of winning the World Cup are dwindling.
Many are now wondering if Portugal’s coach, Fernando Santos, has any regrets about benching Ronaldo until the 74th minute. “I don’t think so, no regrets. I think this was a team which played very well against Switzerland. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player, he came in when we thought it was necessary, so no regrets,” Santos later assured. Morocco took the lead in the first half when Youssef En-Nesyri scored a goal against Portugal keeper Diogo Costa. Portugal was unable to find an equalizer for the rest of the match. As for Morocco, the team made history with their defeat over Ronaldo and Portugal. This is the first time an African team has made it to the semifinal round of the World Cup.
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What happens now? Morocco will go up against France in the semifinals on Wednesday, December 14. Whoever wins that match will play against whoever wins between Argentina and Croatia on Tuesday, December 13. Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s contract with Manchester United was terminated during this World Cup. Stay tuned to see what's next in his legendary career.
