This is the Way to Silence a Nation

This is the Way to Silence a Nation

Cometh the hour, cometh the man! The best player in the world is always the favourite to win football games, almost always backed by sports betting fans.

And so Cristiano Ronaldo, under intense scrutiny over his tax affairs, proved his worth once more, downing the hosts and disregarding one of my betting tips which suggested Russia may have enough to gain a draw. His eighth-minute header was all that was required in the Spartak Stadium to put the European champions on the brink of the semi-finals.

Not even Igor Akinfeev, on the day he earned his 100th cap, could prevent Ronaldo from scoring his 74th international goal, meaning he has now scored in all eight of the major tournaments in which he has featured for the national team.

That wasn’t even the main story of the day. That came before kick-off and showed Ronaldo is far more than the arrogant, preening show-pony he’s often accused of being – and even if he is, his talent more than backs it up.

But the key moment came as he led his team-mates out and the time he spent with the young wheelchair-bound mascot, holding her hand before planting a kiss on her forehead and giving her his warm-up top. The delight on the little girl’s face was something money can’t buy.

Once the contest started, he then was booed for eight minutes by the home fans before planting a header in the back of the Russian net – some riposte. That briefly put Portugal top of the group before Mexico overcame a scare to see off New Zealand.

Raul Jimenez and Oribe Peralta ensured the All Whites were defeated after Leeds’ in-demand striker Chris Wood had put the Kiwis in front. The excitement was far from over. Wood was only denied a late equaliser by the crossbar and Jiménez was somehow denied a third by a fine goal-line clearance by Tommy Smith before tempers flared and what was almost approaching a mass brawl ensued. Somehow all 22 players remained on the pitch, despite the video evidence, which is being trialled at this tournament, coming into play as New Zealand were eliminated.

Who said the Confederations Cup doesn’t matter?

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