Cristiano Ronaldo was accused of ‘waddling like a granddad’ as Portugal’s World Cup adventure came to an end following a 1-0 defeat against Spain.
Mikel Merino’s injury-time winner proved decisive as the reigning European champions advanced to the quarter finals where they will meet Belgium, who thrashed co-hosts USA 4-1 in their last 16 tie.
Ronaldo cut a figure of frustration at the final whistle upon the realisation that his World Cup dream had yet again ended in ignominious failure following a limp display.
For all their attacking options, Spain’s campaign has been founded on a miserly defence that has now kept a record six clean sheets in a row.
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The 41-year-old Ronaldo was unable to lay a glove on his opponents with La Roja’s central defensive partnership of Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi enjoying arguably their most comfortable game of the tournament so far.
Indeed, Ronaldo was so ineffective over the course of the 90 minutes that former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton, co-commentating on the game for BBC 5 Live, branded him geriatric.
He said: ‘He’s waddling around the field like a granddad. Honestly, that’s why Portugal are out.
‘There’s a lot of them probably walking off the pitch now thinking Ronaldo you’ve killed us in this tournament. You’re the reason we’ve gone out, you’re the reason we’ve struggled in the final third.’
While Sutton was angered by Ronaldo’s performance, he reserved the majority of his ire for Portugal’s outgoing manager Roberto Martinez.
Having watched Goncalo Ramos score the winner against Croatia in the previous round, Sutton was left frustrated by Martinez’s decision to keep the PSG striker on the bench and persist with Ronaldo for the entire game.
He said: ‘This is all on the manager. How can Goncalo Ramos come off the bench and score the winner against Croatia and not actually get a minute.
‘What is Roberto Martinez doing? How can you pander? His job was to try and win the World Cup and put the best team out for Portugal. Has he done that? Absolutely not.
‘It’s scandalous the way he has managed this team. Why did they not throw a punch?
‘Your team is only as good as your centre forward. You can put the bulk of it on Ronaldo but more you put on the manager.
‘You centre forward has to move, he has to contribute, he has to press, he has to have variation in his play and he doesn’t, he’s waddling around the field like a granddad.
‘Ronaldo does nothing, he does absolutely nothing. He can sit in a press conference and say he got three goals and it’s all about him.
‘But there are some brilliant players in that Portugal team who will feel this World Cup was a complete waste of time.’
In a subsequent rant on X, Sutton doubled down on his criticisms, adding: ‘Roberto Martinez is an embarrassment. Goncalo Ramos stays on the bench. Ronaldo does what he wants again! Portugal were a freak show, a circus. Martinez so weak.’
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