Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal were aiming for glory at the 2022 World Cup, in what could end up being the 37-year-old's last opportunity to win the tournament in the twilight of his career.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker has been a talismanic figure for his country, scoring more than a century of goals during his involvement at the senior international level, which has spanned an unbelievable 19 years.
There have been many high points during his time with Portugal, none more so than the Euro 2016 campaign, where he managed to get his hands on the trophy despite being injured in the 1-0 final victory against France.
But the superstar Ronaldo looks to have missed out on his last opportunity to win the World Cup, after their 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the quarterfinal.
More: All-time top international goalscorers: Where does Ronaldo rank?
Portugal's World Cup journey
Group stage
Portugal were drawn into Group H, where they will battle it out with Ghana, Uruguay, and Korea Republic for a place in the Round of 16.
They started well with a 3-2 win over Ghana on November 24 and booked their place in the last 16 with a 2-0 defeat of Uruguay on November 28. They round off group play against South Korea on December 2.
Ronaldo scored his eighth World Cup finals goal against Ghana, making him the first player to score in five editions of the finals, although he cut a disgruntled figure when substituted in a 2-1 dead rubber defeat to South Korea.
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Thurs, Nov. 24 | Portugal 3-2 Ghana | 11 a.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Mon, Nov. 28 | Portugal 2-0 Uruguay | 2 p.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Fri, Dec. 2 | South Korea 2-1 Portugal | 10 a.m. | Education City Stadium |
Ronaldo vs Son vs Suarez.
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 1, 2022
This World Cup group will be 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9pxIobtj68
Round of 16: Portugal 6-1 Switzerland
Topping Group H put Portugal on a collision course with familiar foes Switzerland.
Head coach Fernando Santos caused a sensation before kickoff by dropping Ronaldo to the bench. His replacement, Benfica youngster Goncalo Ramos, marked his first international start with a brilliant hat-trick. Ronaldo eventually replaced him off the bench with 15 minutes to go in the match and had a goal ruled out for offside.
Pepe became the second oldest goalscorer in World Cup history behind Cameroon great Roger Milla, while Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao were also on target.
⚽️ 17'
— Sporting News Football Club (@sn_footballclub) December 6, 2022
⚽️ 51'
⚽️ 67'
🔥 Goncalo Ramos strikes again to net the 49th hat trick in World Cup history.
That’s also the first knockout stage hat-trick to be scored in the competition since Czech Republic’s Tomas Skuhravy vs Costa Rica in 1990.#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/n5Vnro5uu0
Quarterfinals: Portugal 0-1 Morocco
Portugal faced Morocco in the quarterfinals, with the North African side having dispatched their Iberian neighbours Spain on penalties following a 0-0 draw.
Portugal, however, came unstuck after a goal from Youssef En-Nesyri just before half-time, with the Moroccans pulling off a defensive masterclass in nullifying Ronaldo and comoany thereafter.
Semifinals
Had Portugal managed to reach the last four, a semifinal against the winners of a mouthwatering clash between England or France would have awaited them.
As it stands, one of those two European heavyweights, will be competing with Morocco for the right to face Croatia or Lionel Messi's Argentina in the final on December 18.