HOUSTON (AP) 鈥� Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a pretty forgettable performance in the first match of his sixth .
After , and all scored in their opening matches, the 41-year-old Ronaldo couldn鈥檛 find the net Wednesday in .
With players like , , and also all scoring early in this year’s World Cup, Ronaldo being held scoreless stands out even more.
However, the Portugal great did join Messi as the only players to appear in six World Cups. But a day after the , Ronaldo missed a few chances to become the first player to score in a sixth tournament.
His shots in the 68th and 73rd minutes went wide right, and he didn’t look happy after either of them.
Ronaldo didn鈥檛 speak to reporters after the game but he posted .
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 the start we wanted, but this is far from over,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淗ead up and focus on the next game.鈥�
Portugal coach Roberto Mart铆nez was asked if he considered taking out Ronaldo on Wednesday.
鈥淚t makes no sense to get the best world scorer to be out when you need goals,鈥� Mart铆nez said. 鈥淭he experience of Cristiano in the box is important. The way that he attracts defenders is important.鈥�
Congo midfielder Ngal鈥檃yel Mukau, who is 20 years younger than Ronaldo, addressed the challenge of facing one of the greatest to ever play the game.
鈥淲e know that Ronaldo isn鈥檛 the same as before,鈥� Mukau said. 鈥淪o we know that he runs less, less efforts. So yeah, it was up to our defense to stop him, and they did a great job.鈥�
Wednesday鈥檚 game was the 229th of Ronaldo鈥檚 international career, the most for a man in history. He won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016, but his best finish at the World Cup came in his first tournament in 2006 when his team reached the semifinals.
Mart铆nez was asked if Ronaldo will start Portugal’s upcoming matches against Uzbekistan and Colombia considering his age.
鈥淲e treat every player in the same way. We take it step by step,鈥� Mart铆nez said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l assess every player. It鈥檚 not a special issue. We don鈥檛 treat Cristiano with age … we treat him how he feels.鈥�
Ronaldo did, however, become the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, taking the record set four years ago by Canada midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. Cameroon great Roger Milla is the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup match, coming on as a substitute at 42 years old during the 1994 World Cup.
This is likely to be the final World Cup for Ronaldo, who won the Champions League five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid and currently plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr.
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