@godstime_ogh@Wizebaba@Acedouglas01 You don’t need to pity him, that’s part of what makes him still relevant, even his haters are obsessed with him, still watching his matches.
I watched the whole game.
My takeaways:
(1) The single biggest question mark about Ronaldo is his age. So the question is how is he moving: agility, strength, balance, speed, jumping and duel ability.
In every regard, here, he looks elite. He was very active here and the previous games, beat defenders on runs (the most important), and has overcome some awkward agility/balance issues he has had in recent years. This is the best he has looked since 2018 Madrid arguably.
(2) The second question is his technical sharpness. In recent years, namely 2022 when he was out of gametime, he was making an uncharacteristic amount of technical errors, sloppy touches, and unecessary ball losses.
Today, he was extremely sharp. His back to goal play was tight. Purposeful. Smart. He did not miss any passes and was as efficient as ever when involved.
(3) Shot creation. This is predicated on his physical fitness - can Ronaldo reach half chances, beat defenders and high lines?
This was absolutely the case. It is completely abnormal for a 41 year old to find those 1v1s and beat defenders - spectacular even. Or his stunning header that barely missed the mark.
These were the key questions that needed answering before the World Cup. He did miss a clear chance and fumble another in the box that he should not have - but this is him not having his scoring boots on/bad game which happens to every striker on the planet - including Cristiano in his prime (see some of his dire performances in WC in the past).
The jury was out as to whether Ronaldo at 41 has the physical and technical attributes to perform. This has been answered. Whether he turns up or no is the question we ask of every player - irrespective of age.