The fault lines had been appearing for some time, threatening to burst open and unleash anarchy in Portuguese football.
Their captain and megastar, Cristiano Ronaldo, was in a goal-scoring drought, according to his critics, not a team player, and at an age better suited to the bench or retirement than to the starting line-up.
Ronaldo, 41, has always enjoyed proving people wrong and believing in his divine ability, an attitude that has often rubbed some the wrong way but has also made him one of football’s biggest-ever stars.
The affection of the Portuguese fans has not wavered. ( Getty Images: Omar Vega)
Not just because of his exploits on the pitch, but because of the CR7 mega-marketing machine, which makes him a commodity as much as an athlete.
But today, it was Ronaldo the footballer, the at-times selfless footballer, who came to play, and with it he delivered a crucial Portugal victory and a stay of execution.
The cracks are papered over for now, but will the render hold?
An ordinary player doing extraordinary things
Before this match, Ronaldo had not scored in 10 consecutive matches at a major tournament and was panned after a sub-par performance in Portugal’s opening draw with DR Congo.
His teammate João Neves’ post-match comments about Ronaldo being “one of us, trying to help” were wildly blown out of proportion and taken out of context, interpreted as a dig at Ronaldo being ordinary.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his opening goal against Uzbekistan. (Getty Images: Michael Steele)
It ignited a social media storm, but Ronaldo’s most telling contribution to this game was not his two goals, but those moments where he showed he could be that ordinary guy, doing whatever it takes to help the team.
Fox Sports US analyst Thierry Henry had a pointed message for Ronaldo in the buildup to the match: “The team needs to score, not you.” And he listened. Kinda.
Ronaldo shook the monkey off the back with his first, a delightful finish, which he celebrated exuberantly, heading straight for his teammates on the bench, before unleashing his trademark “siu!”.
With that, he became the first man to score at six World Cups, and the second-oldest ever to find the back of the net.
His more significant injection came when Portugal was awarded a foul in prime position just outside the box.
He stepped up to take a free kick. Or so everyone thought.
After an all too long build-up of a couple of minutes, everyone’s gaze was trained on him. And in a masterful act of deception, it was Nuno Mendes instead who sprinted in unexpectedly and smashed home a screamer.
Ronaldo’s body language clearly lifted after his side landed the early blows; he was proactive, drifting in and out of position to get more touches, desperate to erase the miserly 25 he had in the first game.
His second goal came on the counterattack for Portugal, and he proved his clean finishing ability.
Belief turns into results
Where his lack of possession in the first game was damning, this time it was telling.
He did not have too many more touches in this game, but his heatmap was more complete, and his moments off the ball more influential.
He was not always demanding the ball; at times, he shouted directions for passes to teammates in better positions.
And when Portugal was awarded another free kick in the second half, he provided a crucial decoy run, sprinted into the box, and almost collected a third.
At the other end of the pitch, he headed the ball clear in defence, and then turned on speed, belying his age, desperate to provide an outlet for the transition.
It is only one game, and yes, a leopard does not change its spots, but sometimes there can be subtle changes in shape or shade which are enough to make a difference.
Ronaldo was still demanding the ball at many other times throughout and had several excellent chances to add to his tally in the second half.
That is what has made him so great: an unwavering belief in his ability to score and a willingness to let others know the same.
Uzbekistan was not the hardest opponent for Portugal either, but DR Congo was not supposed to be either.
A one-sided victory against a much lower-ranked opposition is a victory all the same and will count for much more in its ability to quell the naysayers, for now at least.
Cristiano Ronaldo, always the centre of attention. (Getty Images: Maja Hitij)
Before the game, manager Roberto Martinez insisted, “Our group is even more united than before. It is a process. Tension is not part of our team.”
That unity was on display here, but will need to be maintained when the tougher tests arrive.
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