THE feeling that Cristiano Ronaldo is never going to replicate in a Portugal shirt the glory he has enjoyed at club level grows stronger by the day. Success on the international front is the one honour that continues to elude the man from Madeira and this goalless draw with Austria in the second group game of Euro 2016 does nothing to suggest this is going to be his year either. Portugal could yet qualify for the last 16 depending on how they fare in their final game against Hungary but a second successive draw – after a humbling result against Iceland in their opening game – will not have many rushing to the bookmakers to lump the mortgage on Portugal finishing this tournament as European champions. At 31 years old, Ronaldo is unlikely to get another chance.
He, typically, did not stint in either endeavour or sulking throughout the match. On the night he became Portugal’s most capped player – overtaking the great Luis Figo – the Real Madrid forward again rattled in shot after shot, header after header, long range free kick after long range free kick, but could not find the goal that would have made him the first player to score in four European Championship finals. Just when it seemed his moment of glory had arrived, after he was bundled to the ground in the box by Martin Hinteregger with 12 minutes of the game remaining, Ronaldo, inexplicably, struck his penalty against the post. To pour further salt into the wounds, a late headed “goal” was then ruled out for offside.
It was the story of his night, his tournament, his international career in many ways. He really ought to have opened the scoring here midway through the first half, only to sidefoot an effort tamely wide of goal. A second attempt before half-time lacked the power to beat the impressive Robert Almer in the Austrian goal but, undeterred, Ronaldo continued to seek a path to goal the way a bloodhound tries to sniff out a fox. A ferocious left-foot effort was well saved and from the resulting corner Almer was again equal to his downward header. Ronaldo did not try to hide his disappointment and frustration.
He is by far Portugal’s talisman but they have other talented performers, too. Nani saw an early attempt well saved before pranging the post with a header before the first half was out. Vieirinha also ventured forward from the back only to see his long-range effort expertly repelled by the goalkeeper. The feeling grew this wasn’t going to be Portugal’s night, the penalty miss and disallowed header delivering belated confirmation.
Austria claimed a milestone of their own, a first clean sheet at a major tournament in 14 attempts. They also had chances to win it. Martin Harnik should have put them front early on, somehow heading over at the back post after Marcel Sabitzer had plopped a cross right on his head.
There was then a terrific dead ball chance just before half-time after Pepe, in typical fashion, clattered into the back of David Alaba and was booked. It was a difficult angle but Alaba’s delivery was perfect, with only a last-gasp clearance off the line from Vierinha denying the versatile Bayern Munich man the opening goal of the game.
Within 40 seconds of the re-start, Austria threatened again, a low shot from Stefan Ilsanker forcing the first decent save of the match from Rui Patricio in the Portuguese goal. It was mostly Portugal and Ronaldo thereafter but the goal somehow would not come. It has become a familiar story.
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