Cristiano Ronaldo left the World Cup in tears on Saturday and walked down the tunnel, dashing his dreams of winning the trophy.
Morocco pulled off a shock 1-0 win over Portugal in the quarter-finals, the North Africans’ joy in stark contrast to Ronaldo’s grief.
The Portuguese forward, 37, may not get another chance to win the game’s biggest trophy, and his World Cup exit was particularly bitter as he started the game as a substitute.
With another result Ronaldo would have celebrated equaling the all-time men’s international appearance record with his 196th Portugal cap, but his final minutes were disappointing.
As the final whistle blew, Ronaldo headed for the tunnel with tears streaming down his face, ignoring the Moroccan players who flocked to their fans to celebrate.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos said: “If you take the two people who are most worried, it’s probably Cristiano Ronaldo and me.
“Of course we’re worried, of course it affects us, it’s part of the game, it’s part of the job.”
Ronaldo won Euro 2016 with his country, despite suffering an injury during the win over France in the final and watching from the sidelines as Eder became his country’s hero.
The World Cup has been a dream come true for both Ronaldo and his country but they fell short against surprise package Morocco.
In a surprise decision, Ronaldo was left on the bench against Switzerland as Portugal cruised to a 6-1 victory in the last 16 with Santos sticking to the plan.
However, just after half-time, with his side trailing to a Youssef N Nesri goal, Santos threw on Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo, looking to their all-time leading scorer to bail them out.
Ronaldo struggled to get into the game, with the Moroccan taking it with him every time the ball came close.
The striker had just one sniff at goal, but Moroccan stopper Yassine Bono got down quickly to deny him.
Asked if he regretted starting with Ronaldo on the bench, the coach said he was satisfied with his choice.
“I have no regrets, I think it was a team that played very well against Switzerland,” Santos added.
“Cristiano is a great player, he came when I thought it was important, so no, I have no regrets.”
After recovering from the disappointment of the World Cup, Ronaldo must decide his future in the game at club level.
The forward and Manchester United parted ways in a bitter divorce at the start of the tournament and Ronaldo is currently without a club.
