SOCHI, Russia—Before Portugal’s match here against Uruguay, Fernando Santos had to answer a question that might be unusual for any other manager. What would he think of his star player becoming president of Portugal? The topic wasn’t absurd because his star player is soccer’s biggest star: Cristiano Ronaldo. And the question was broached this week by none other than President Donald Trump, who asked Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in an Oval Office meeting if Ronaldo would “ever run for president against you?” But Santos has grown used to this. He burst out laughing, saying he hadn’t heard about Mr. Trump’s query. Earlier, Santos had declared he had won a cup of coffee because he had bet someone that he would be asked about the team’s dependence on Ronaldo. Since Ronaldo first put on the national team’s jersey 15 years ago, everything has always been about Ronaldo in this manner. But on this day, the best scorer on the planet ran into the best defense on the planet in a 2-1 defeat to Uruguay. Now, Uruguay will advance to the quarterfinals, where it will face France. “Cristiano still has a lot to give,” Santos said after his team was eliminated. Whether Ronaldo suits up again for the national team, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar looks like a long shot—by then, he will be 37 years old. So in some respects, Saturday became a potential final chapter for the two players who can lay claim to being the world’s best. Ronaldo, 33 years old, bowed out just hours after 31-year-old Lionel Messi and Argentina lost to France. The duo that lorded over the sport as goal-scoring wonders went out without a goal in what could be their final performances for their country in the World Cup. There’s no one way to capture their reign atop soccer. No player not named Messi or Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or, given to the best player in the world, for 10 years. Ronaldo’s Real Madrid has won four out of the last five Champions League titles; Messi’s Barcelona won the other. Messi has led Spain’s La Liga in scoring in five of the last nine years; Ronaldo owns three of the remaining four. “I don’t know. It’s his decision,” teammate Bernardo Silva said of Ronaldo’s future. “Hopefully, he stays.” Here at Fisht Olympic Stadium, Ronaldo, who had scored four goals through the team’s first three matches in the group stage, was smothered by a defense that hadn’t given up a goal since November. This made Pepe’s header, which knotted the game at 1-1 in the 55th minute, a feat in and of itself. At the same time, Portugal’s defense, the one that was so stingy during the team’s winning Euro 2016 run, hadn’t looked as stout throughout this tournament. In the team’s World Cup opener, it conceded three goals in a draw to Spain. Later, it barely held on to a draw against Iran in the face of late, dangerous attacks. On this day, they struggled to contain Uruguay’s star attacking duo of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez. Cavani scored both goals for Uruguay—in the seventh and 62nd minutes—while Suarez was instrumental in setting up the attack. Ronaldo, though, had no such room to operate. The Uruguayan defense, which has made life miserable for opposing goal scorers with perhaps the best back line in all of international soccer, did the same to Ronaldo. On many occasions, Ronaldo was successful in deking one defender. But just as quickly as he passed one man, another swarmed him. Portugal finished with 20 shots to Uruguay’s six. But many missed the target and of those that did, few were truly dangerous. In bouts of desperation, Ronaldo fired again and again from outside the box. But frequently, the ball didn’t even reach its target and was blocked by a defender. In the aftermath of the loss, members of Portugal expressed hope that Ronaldo would continue to play with the team. If there’s any hope, it may be that just as Ronaldo’s shots seem to defy gravity, he is already in some ways defying the typical aging curve for star strikers. At an age when many are expected to be on the decline, Ronaldo has shown no such signs. He led the Champions League in scoring for the sixth consecutive year this past season. Ronaldo, right, helps Uruguay's injured Edinson Cavani off the pitch. Photo: Sergei Bobylev/TASS/Zuma Press “It seems like he’s getting better and better with age,” Silva said. If this were a farewell, it included everything except a mind-blowing Ronaldo goal. He ripped shots that made the Portuguese-favoring crowd gasp with excitement. On one free kick, there was a classic Ronaldo moment when he hiked his shorts up, exposing the breadth of his thighs. There was even a touching moment in the heat of the game’s tension, when Ronaldo helped an injured Cavani walk off the pitch. But in the end, the frustration of being unable to break through was too much. A yellow card was Ronaldo’s last significant action in the game—and perhaps his last at the World Cup. Write to Andrew Beaton at andrew.beaton@wsj.com<doc-sep>MOSCOW -- Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup ended Saturday in Sochi with a loss of control, a cuss word screamed into the face of the referee, and the pent-up frustration of not being able to have everything. Four hours earlier in Kazan, Lionel Messi’s campaign came to a close too, with a shake of the head, confusion as to where it all went wrong, and the unfamiliar feeling of not being good enough for once. Soccer’s two standout stars saw their attempt to win the big one, the greatest prize in the sport, come crashing to a halt. Not just for this year, but probably for good. Each of them have had a career that is the stuff of dreams, with riches and celebrity (one embraces it, the other tolerates it), and trophy cabinets laden with glittering chalices that give testament to their brilliance. Take the L:Antoine Griezmann celebrates goal with Fortnite dance Next great one? :Messi comes up short again as new star arises More:Why Cristiano Ronaldo is the most arrogant athlete in sports Yet each man reserved a space, both in the cabinet and his heart, for the World Cup, and it will now surely be a hole that remains unfulfilled. No one is going to feel too sorry for them, for theirs is a unique kind of sting that mere mortals of sports never get to feel. Players who have found glory at every turn, whether in soccer or any other discipline, have an inherent sense of believing they can do anything, that no task or goal or accomplishment is beyond them. It is what makes them great and keeps them striving despite already being the best, but it is also what makes days like this hurt like hell. For Ronaldo and Messi, each was burdened with a team that wasn’t as good and wasn’t as collective as the one it came up against in the Round of 16. France was too deep, too strong, too focused and fearless and ultimately resilient for Argentina, even after Messi enjoyed a slice of fortune when his goalbound effort deflected off Gabriel Mercado to put the team ahead. Ronaldo’s Portugal might have been the reigning European champion; however, it had holes and softness in various positions and found that Uruguay’s perfect record during the group stage was no accident. No goals for Ronaldo, meaning he has never scored in the knockout round at a World Cup, and even if he gets another chance, it won’t be until he is 37. Curiously, Messi shares the same stat, though he has gone further in the tournament, reaching the final in 2014 and being named that event’s finest player. He wasn’t the finest player in the game on Saturday, outshone handsomely by France’s precocious and rapid footed 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe, who won an early penalty then scored twice to seal a 4-3 triumph and a place in the quarterfinal. Ronaldo found a superior foe on the day as well, with Edinson Cavani firing both Uruguay’s goals, courtesy of a well-timed header to finish an excellent move, then a gorgeous curling effort in the second half, before hobbling off injured. Ronaldo lost not only the game but also his cool. As the 90th minute ticked over he went on one of his twinkling runs and threatened danger, only to slice a wild effort comically wide of the target after it splayed off the side of his foot. Then he was bellowing into the official’s face, unjustly as it turned out for Ricardo Quaresma didn’t deserve the free-kick Ronaldo was demanding, having dived amid scant contact. The yellow card Ronaldo received meant he would have missed the quarterfinal anyways, even if a miracle had been forthcoming. It wasn’t, and it hadn’t been for Messi either, despite a fine late ball that Sergio Aguero nodded home to add at least some tension to the last few moments. Too little, too late. And too late for both of them when it comes to World Cups. They have each had four cracks at it now, and Argentina in 2014 aside, have never gotten with touching distance. It is not a criticism or particularly much of a failure, even considering the remarkably lofty standards they have set for themselves. Countless great players never won the World Cup, and they lived with it. It is merely an emptiness, and a quirk of sorts. Given that it’s so rare we find two all-time greats in the same era it therefore seems peculiar that neither one of them will hoist that elusive trophy. It is just as well. While the World Cup embraces star power, it doesn’t depend on it. The event will miss Ronaldo and Messi, but not too much. Theirs is a pain they will carry with them because their ego, even that of the quieter Messi, demands it. If they were the type to be satisfied with falling short, ever, they wouldn’t be the Ronaldo and Messi that we know.<doc-sep>Portugal bowed out of the World Cup with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Uruguay. The European champions were outclassed in all departments by Oscar Tabarez's men as Cristiano Ronaldo could not inspire his side to another famous victory. Edinson Cavani gave Uruguay the lead early in the first half. Pepe equalized for Portugal in the second half but a stinging counter-attack gave the lead back to Uruguay, again courtesy of Edinson Cavani. Ronaldo and co tried hard but it ultimately proved to be impossible to breach Uruguay's famed defence twice. Uruguay will now face France in the quarterfinals whereas Portugal will reflect on their mistakes and the missed penalty against Iran. So without further ado, let's analyze the three reasons why Portugal could not usurp the Uruguayan challenge on the night: #3 A bad start Edinson Cavani scored in the seventh minute Starting in a midfield diamond, Uruguay proved they were up for the task from the word go. They pressed as a unit, starting from Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani up front. Their strategy was clear, let Portugal have the ball and try to hit them on the counter which was vindicated by the fact that Portugal had 64% possession in the first half. This strategy bore fruit as early as in the seventh minute. In one such Uruguayan attack, Cavani played a diagonal ball to Suarez who then delivered a pinpoint cross to his strike partner. Cavani ran his heart out to meet the cross and complete one of the most elegant one-two in the history of the World Cup. The goal brought extra pressure on Portugal who were already finding it tough to break Uruguay's defence. It was just the start that Portugal had dreaded. Uruguay earned their advantage and could have doubled their lead in the first half but Rui Patricio made an expert save of a Luis Suarez freekick. Cavani's early goal made all the psychological difference in the game as Portugal were left to climb a mountain, i.e score two goals against this mean Uruguayan defence. 1 / 3 NEXT<doc-sep>Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had never won the World Cup. When they travelled to Russia, both players, among the greatest footballers of all time, would have hoped to correct that status. And when Ronaldo started FIFA World Cup 2018 with a hat-trick against 2010 world champions Spain, all eyes were on the Real Madrid star and Portugal. He would go on to score one more goal and be firmly on the race for Golden Boot. Messi, meanwhile, got off to a horror start against debutants Iceland. He missed a penalty and Argentina held on for a draw. Against Croatia, Messi was ineffective once again as Argentina crashed to a 0-3 defeat. A victory over Nigeria helped the Albicelestes reach the pre-quarterfinals but their hopes were dashed against a rampant France. After Argentina's exit, the attention was on Ronaldo as Portugal faced off against Uruguay. But there too, the star attraction could barely come into the game after being marked astutely by the Uruguayan defenders. 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP: FULL COVERAGE Overall, it was a disappointing day for Messi and Ronaldo fans the world over. It was a disappointing day for Lionel Messi (Reuters Photo) However, 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe made it a night to remember with a brace against Argentina. His two goals in four minutes sealed the deal for Argentina. Meanwhile, in Sochi, another brace put paid to Portugal's World Cup hopes. Edinson Cavani, the PSG star, led a stunning assault for Uruguay, first heading a Luis Suarez pass in the seventh minute before scoring again in the 62nd minute to cancel out Pepe's equaliser. So how did it all unfold in Kazan and Sochi Saturday night? We present to you a quick recap of the goals, the records set and the reactions from the protagonists of a dramatic evening of football. Mbappe stars as France beat Argentina to enter World Cup 2018 quarter-finals Kylian Mbappe scored a brace as France defeated Argentina 4-3 in their round of 16 match at the Kazan Arena on Saturday to book a berth in the quarter-finals of FIFA World Cup 2018. Kylian Mbappe celebrates with France teammates (Reuters Photo) This means there will be no Messi vs Portugal face-off and France will now face Uruguay for a place in the semi-finals. Mbappe matches Pele in epic France vs Argentina clash Kylian Mbappe scored two goals to help France beat Argentina 4-3 and qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals. Apart from helping his team, the Paris Saint-Germain forward also matched a record set by football legend Pele. With his two goals against the Lionel Messi's side, the 19-year-old became the first teenager to score at least twice in a World Cup match since Pele scored a brace against Sweden in 1958. Edinson Cavani sends Uruguay into quarter-finals Edinson Cavani scored a brace as Uruguay defeated Portugal 2-1 in their round of 16 match at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi to set up a quarter-final clash against France in FIFA World Cup 2018. Edinson Cavani scored a brace for Uruguay (AP Photo) Cavani scored in the seventh minute and then again in the 62nd minute to seal victory for the South Americans. Pepe scored for the 2016 European champions before Cavani sealed the deal for Uruguay. Kylian Mbappe flattered with Pele comparisons Mbappe was a modest man despite his heroics earning France a dominating victory over Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Mbappe's goals in the 64th and 68th minute handed France a 4-2 lead and took the game away from La Albicelestes at the Kazan Arena. Sergio Aguero did score in the 93rd minute but it was too late and Lionel Messi's team was knocked out of the tournament after losing 4-3. Coach Sampaoli gutted after Argentina fail Lionel Messi Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli was gutted after crashing out of the FIFA World Cup 2018 following a 3-4 defeat to France at the Kazan Arena on Saturday. Lionel Messi was largely ineffective as the 2014 World Cup runners-up bowed out in a thrilling encounter. Teenager Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in four minutes to send a youthful France charging into the World Cup quarter-finals. Messi's Argentina, who were held to a 1-1 draw by debutants Iceland, lost to a rampant Croatia 3-0 and squeezed past Nigeria 2-1 to enter the round of 16, will go back home utterly disappointed. "This is very painful, especially because the players have made a huge effort. It was a very difficult game but we have not achieved our goal here in Russia," Sampaoli said after Argentina's exit. "I am sad, I'm frustrated - I think that's quite normal. For me, the fact of being here and being able to be where means I won't decide my future today." Argentina's most-capped player Javier Mascherano retires Argentina's defender Javier Mascherano called time on his international career after his side failed to go beyond the last-16 stage at the FIFA World Cup 2018. He had made his international debut in 2003. Javier Mascherano announced his retirement soon after Argentina's exit (Reuters Photo) The 34-year-old was the most capped Argentinian with 145 appearances and was also part of the team which lost 4-3 to France in the pre-quarterfinals at Kazan on Saturday. "Personally, for me now it's over. From now on I'm just one more Argentina fan," Mascherano was quoted as saying by DeportTV. Cristiano Ronaldo helped Edinson Cavani off the the field (Reuters Photo) Ronaldo's heart-warming gesture Even though he was a frustrated figure throughout the match, Ronaldo showed the true sportsman spirit when he helped Cavani off the field in the 74th minute after the Uruguay striker suffered an injury. Uruguay concede first goal this year Uruguay finally conceded a goal for the first time this year when Pepe scored in the 55th minute. Uruguay's run was ended after 597 minutes with them last conceding a goal in November 2017 against Austria. Not a fair result. Portugal coach can't come to terms with World Cup exit<doc-sep>
SOCHI, RUSSIA—Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t carry the team by himself this time. The five-time player of the year, who scored four goals in his opening two matches at the World Cup, was eliminated from the tournament on Saturday after Portugal lost to Uruguay 2-1 in the round of 16. On the same day Lionel Messi was sent home in Argentina’s loss, the other GOAT at this tournament was also eliminated. “We gave our best,” Ronaldo said. “The team played well. As the team captain I am proud of this group.” Portugal won the 2016 European championship and came to Russia with high expectations following the surprise title in France two years ago, its first in a major tournament. Ronaldo started off this year’s tournament with a hat trick against Spain and then added another goal against Morocco. But on Saturday, it was Edinson Cavani who scored twice to earn victory for the Uruguayans. “No team can win with one player alone,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “He tried. The team didn’t win because Uruguay scored twice.” Portugal hasn’t reached the World Cup quarterfinals since 2006, when a young Ronaldo led the team to the semifinals. Back then, Portugal lost to France and eventually finished fourth after losing to Germany in the consolation game. Ronaldo, now 33 and still playing some of the best soccer of his life, failed to provide the spark Portugal needed against Uruguay. Ronaldo’s great start in Russia allowed him to surpass the combined total of three goals he had scored in his previous three World Cups. He also joined Pele, Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler as the only players to score in four World Cups. The four early goals in this year’s tournament had put him in position to contend for the Golden Boot trophy, but he was surpassed by England striker Harry Kane’s five goals in the group stage. Despite his fast start in Russia, Ronaldo missed a penalty in the 1-1 draw against Iran in the third game. He also was nearly given a red card when his elbowing of an opponent was reviewed on video. Prior to the World Cup, Ronaldo led Real Madrid to its third straight Champions League title, but he arrived in Russia surrounded by distractions about his club future and a tax fraud accusation back in Madrid. He had said he would talk about his club future after joining the national team, but avoided the subject from the start. He only spoke briefly with the media in Russia. “Now it’s not the time to talk about the future,” Ronaldo said. “I’m sure that the national team will remain as one of the best in the world. We have great players, a fantastic group.” Cavani took the spotlight on this day. He combined with Luis Suarez to compete a series of precision passes to give Uruguay the early advantage with a header in the seventh minute. And after Portugal equalized on Pepe’s header in the 55th minute, it was Cavani again finishing a perfect Uruguay counter in the 62nd with a shot from just inside the penalty area that caught Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio slightly out of position and curled inside the far post. “The truth is, it was really exciting,” Cavani said. “There aren’t words to describe this.” Cavani now has three goals at the World Cup, but limped off in the 70th minute with an apparent injury and had to be replaced. He was helped to the sideline with his arm around Ronaldo’s back. Uruguay, a two-time champion that reached the semifinals at the 2010 World Cup, will face France on Friday in Nizhny Novgorod. Portugal had chances in the second half, including a frantic final few minutes of stoppage time with claims of a possible hand ball in the penalty area from a late corner kick. But there was no late video review to benefit Portugal as Ronaldo’s fourth World Cup came to an uneventful end. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Like Messi, Ronaldo has never scored in a knockout round match at the World Cup. Ronaldo had one clean shot the entire 90 minutes and it came in the opening moments of the match, directly into the arms of Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. gone 598 minutes since November 2017 without allowing a goal.