Ronaldo off to roaring start
In 2 games, he’s got all 4 goals for Portugal
MOSCOW — This World Cup will have a winner and undoubtedly will produce many memorable moments over the next 31⁄ weeks.
Yet it forever may be remembered for Cristiano Ronaldo.
If the tournament started with a debate over whether Argentina’s Lionel Messi or Portugal’s Ronaldo is the greatest player of his generation, that debate could be over even before the competition is.
Two games into the World Cup, Ronaldo hasn’t just been good, he’s been brilliant.
On Wednesday, in a game in which Portugal was again outplayed, Ronaldo picked his teammates up, put them on his shoulders and, with some help from goalkeeper Rui Patricio, carried them to victory. This time it was a 1-0 win over Morocco, giving the reigning European champions four points following two games of Group B play and moving them a big step closer to the knockout round.
Next week’s final groupplay game with Iran will ultimately determine Portugal’s fate, while Morocco’s chances expired with its second shutout loss in as many games.
And Ronaldo ended the suspense early, ducking to knock home a header in the fourth minute. It was his fourth goal in 94 minutes in this tournament, eclipsing his total from his first three World Cups combined.
It also was his 85th career score for Portugal, breaking a tie with Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas for most Cristiano Ronaldo scores on a header for his World Cup-leading fourth goal early in Portugal’s 1-0 victory Wednesday. international goals by a European. Only Iranian Ali Daei, with 109, has more.
Ronaldo looks like he could challenge that record before he leaves Russia.
“Obviously Cristiano, he’s like a fine port wine,” Portuguese coach Fernando Santos said. “He knows how to refine his capacity at age. He is constantly evolving, contrary to a regular player.
“He knows what he can do. He knows himself, and he knows how to improve himself.”
Colombia’s James Rodriguez led the last World Cup with six goals; Ronaldo is two short of that, and he’s not even out of the group stage yet.
His score Wednesday came off a corner kick that started with Bernardo Silva playing the ball in short to Joao Moutinho. The midfielder then sent a rightfooted cross into the box for Ronaldo, who dipped between Moroccan defenders Manuel Da Costa and Karim El Ahmadi to nod in the waist-high pass.
With bodies tumbling through the box, Morocco wanted a foul called on Portuguese defender Pepe, but U.S. referee Mark Geiger let the play go.
Ronaldo’s first goal in Portugal’s opener — when he had a hat trick — also came in the fourth minute. So if you’re going to see him play, don’t be late.
Each time Ronaldo came near the ball Wednesday, the crowd of 78,011 at Luzhniki Stadium either cheered or gasped in anticipation.
“It is a little easier to play with a player who has a goal opportunity and who scores,” Morocco coach Herve Renard said. “The most gifted players are the ones who make all the difference.” Luis Suarez put both Uruguay and host Russia into the second round while also eliminating Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Suarez scored the winning goal, knocking in a corner kick from Carlos Sanchez to give the twotime champions the victory in Rostov-on-Don.
Diego Costa scored on a deflection in the 54th minute to lead Spain to the win in Kazan.
Trailing in the second half, Iran nearly equalized when Saeid Ezatolahi had a goal that was ruled out on video review.
Neymar practiced a day after leaving Brazil’s training early because of pain in his right ankle.
In a video on the Brazilian federation website, Neymar said: “I trained well, felt comfortable ... foot is fine.”
Brazil plays Costa Rica on Friday in St. Petersburg. FIFA fined the Mexican and Serbian federations $10,400 each for offensive behavior by fans at World Cup games.
FIFA said the Mexico case involved “discriminatory and i nsulting chants” during the team’s 1-0 win over Germany on Sunday.
Mexican fans chanted an anti-gay slur popular among Latin American fans.
The Serbia case involved an “offensive and political” World War II-era banner at the team’s 1-0 win over Costa Rica on Sunday.
FIFA is using anti-discrimination experts to monitor Cup games.
Meanwhile, the English federation condemned a video posted on Twitter that purportedly shows fans at the Cup performing Nazi salutes and singing antiSemitic songs.