Cristiano Ronaldo, who said it was his 'last dance', seems to have stumbled: "Big chances" three times missed... Portugal defeats Nigeria 2-1 in World Cup departure ceremony

*This content was translated by AI.

Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al-Nassr), captain of the Portugal national football team, suffered a serious blow to his reputation at the World Cup departure ceremony.

On the 11th (Korea time), Portugal secured a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the final friendly match before the World Cup, held at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria, Portugal.

Having defeated Chile 2-1 on the 7th, Portugal extended its winning streak to two games, completing its preparations for the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup.

Portugal took the lead in the 23rd minute of the first half with a goal from Pedro Neto. They conceded an equalizer to Acor Adams in the 34th minute of the first half, but Francisco Conceição scored the winning goal in the 30th minute of the second half to secure the victory.

While the team celebrated, the performance of star striker Ronaldo was serious. Starting as the forward, he played for 65 minutes but failed to register any attacking points.

According to the football statistics media "FootMob," Ronaldo missed three crucial chances, sending them all into the air. He attempted four shots in total, but none were on target.

This North American World Cup is effectively Ronaldo's last. Along with rival Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Ronaldo achieved the record of participating in his sixth World Cup. He aimed to become the first player to score in six consecutive World Cup tournaments. However, just before the main tournament, he drew concerns by showing his worst goal-scoring ability.

Portugal will face the Democratic Republic of the Congo (18th), Uzbekistan (24th), and Colombia (28th) in order in Group K of the tournament. Statistics media "Opta" projected Portugal's chances of winning the tournament at 7.08%, ranking 5th among 48 countries.

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*This content was translated by AI.