Cristiano Ronaldo's performance against Slovenia on Monday - and performance is certainly a fitting word for it - left viewers in the stadium and beyond utterly baffled; the star of his own one-man show, the Portugal captain made Frankfurt's Waldstadion the stage for his melodrama in the last 16 of Euro 2024.
Ineffective in open play against Slovenia's dogged defence and low block, the 39-year-old instead resorted to peppering their goal from free-kicks with varying degrees of farce as he commanded every set-piece his side were awarded. Frustrated in 90 minutes, Ronaldo's long-awaited golden opportunity finally presented itself from the penalty spot in the first half of extra-time, but rather than wheeling away in celebration, he was dramatically reduced to tears as his effort was brilliantly kept out by Jan Oblak.
The veteran's blushes would be saved in an eventual shootout triumph, as goalkeeper Diogo Costa emerged as Portugal's hero ahead of his captain with three fine stops. However, this felt like a watershed moment for Ronaldo. "It's football, those who fail are those who try too," he said afterwards. "I will always do my best for this shirt, whether I fail or not. You can't be afraid, I've never been afraid to face things head on, sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't, but giving up is something you'll never hear from my name."
He may not be ready to throw in the towel, but this was the latest in a long line of evidence to suggest it's time Portugal and manager Roberto Martinez moved on from the Ronaldo show, as he desperately clings on to past glories; their hopes at Euro 2024 may depend on it.