The midfielder produced a simple finish with just seconds left on the clock, sparking wild celebrations from the Spanish fans at the ground. Portugal responded by throwing the kitchen sink at their rivals in a desperate attempt to force extra time. However, the final whistle blew without a breakthrough.
Immediately after the match, Ronaldo was seen walking around the pitch with his other teammates looking emotional.
At one point, he was shown staring into the stands holding back tears, clearly devastated that his dreams of World Cup glory would never come true.
Ronaldo, who has scored 146 goals in 232 appearances and is Portugal’s top scorer and player, last week insisted he had no intention of fixating on the next World Cup in 2030.
“Let this be my last World Cup,” he said. “This is my last World Cup so I hope tomorrow is not my last game.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker declined to say whether this would be his last World Cup, despite turning 45 when the next World Cup takes place.
“I’ll finish it when I decide,” he said Sunday. “You always ask the same question: Is this the last time? I understand. I don’t want to draw attention to this. The most important thing is to play well tomorrow.”
“To be perfectly honest, no matter what happens tomorrow, Cristiano will leave with a clear conscience, 1000 percent.
“I have given everything I can to football. Playing for many years is my passion. I am not doing it out of necessity. I am doing well in life. Passion is important. I play for the national team and I love playing football.”
“No matter what happens tomorrow, I’m not going to put any pressure on myself to win.
“In a big tournament like the World Cup, you have to enjoy every game. I don’t think my performance was too bad. I scored three goals and others did better, but I don’t think my performance was too bad.”
