Cristiano Ronaldo needs to find prime finishing form to justify his position in Portugal's starting XI.
The 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo had a few nice touches, but he lacked the finishing bite, timing, and power that made him special in his heyday.
Portugal edged past a tenacious Czech Republic thanks to two goals made possible by their opponent's mistakes: an own goal by center-back Robin Hranac and a 92nd-minute strike by 21-year-old centre forward Chico Conceicao, who capitalised on the same defender's blunder.
As the camera panned in on a joyful Cristiano Ronaldo hugging Conceicao, one couldn't help but wonder whether the Porto youth may one day come for the keys to the kingdom. Because on the night versus Czech, the once lethal CR7 appeared to be struggling to acclimate to the game's pace, with mistimed headers, erratic runs that would leave him in an offside position, and shots that would have found the back of the net in his prime, but were saved by the goalkeeper. In one word, he walked out of this bout looking ordinary, with a minor portion of his aura gone.
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