Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream over as Spain strike late and Castro defends captain | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream ended in Dallas as Spain beat Portugal 1-0, the 41-year-old leaving the pitch in tears. Former Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro said, "It was Portugal that lost, not a specific player." He told Arriyadiyah.

Mikel Merino snatched the stoppage-time winner. "While Portugal was preparing for extra time, Spain was still looking for the winning goal in regulation time," Castro said. "In one of these attempts, one of Portugal's central defenders left his position, which opened space for a Spanish player who, unmarked, infiltrated the defensive line and scored the winning goal."

Despite Castro’s defence, Ronaldo’s numbers paint a starker picture. He scored three times at this tournament, yet across the last two World Cups he is the only striker to play over 500 minutes without dribbling past an opponent in open play.

"I'm sad to be leaving the World Cup like this. I gave it my all. I did my best. It was my last World Cup, yes," Ronaldo reflected. "Before Cristiano, Portugal had not won anything. The Euros was the most important. For me, 2016 has the same dimension as a World Cup, honestly."

The current Gremio boss added, "There are stronger teams at the moment. Argentina is at the highest level, while England and France come right behind."

Source: Goal.com