WORLD CUP 2018: Cristiano Ronaldo puts a 'no-show' as Edinson Cavani dumps Portugal

So, earlier on June 30, Lionel Messi and Argentina exited the World Cup 2018 following their 4-3 loss to France. In that match, a 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe grabbed all the headlines, scoring a couple, winning a penalty and terrorizing the opposition.

On the other hand, Messi struggled to influence the game. On paper, he will be credited with two assists, but in reality, Messi was very poor on a day his team needed him the most.

Following this match, it was time for Uruguay vs Portugal. Messi's rival Cristiano Ronaldo was to feature in this match, and it was huge match for him, given his poor record in knockout stages in the competition history.

What followed was similar to the earlier match. A certain Edinson Cavani scored a brace as Uruguay beat Portugal 2-1, and knocked them out of the tournament. And just like Messi in the France match, Ronaldo was absolutely horrible.

The Portugese skipper is tasked with getting his side the goals, and providing them the chances. But against Uruguay, Ronaldo did nothing of that sorts. The Portugese as a a whole looked timed and poor in the attacking front, but Ronaldo stood out for all the wrong reasons.

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He started off the campaign with a hat-trick against Spain, and everyone expected him to continue and light the tournament up. But unfortunately, the following three matches has shown the worst of Ronaldo.

The No.7 has looked completely off the pace, and a shadow of a player who could make an impact. It didn't seem clear whether he was playing as a winger or a forward. His continous movement around the pitch made life terrible for his teammates, who had no clue what was going.

Against Uruguay, Ronaldo attempted six efforts, but none of them was a testing effort. In his defense, he tried. But there's no denying that he is no longer the player her was. 

Further, the Portugese skipper continues on his pathetic record in knockout matches. Prior to this match, he had played several matches after the group stage round, but failed to do so. And in this tournament also, he failed.

It's quite clear that Portugal can and should no longer look upto Ronaldo to produce something out of nothing. It's true that the Portugese skipper has the capability of producing performances like he did against Spain. 

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But in all honesty, Ronaldo more often than not puts up a 'no-show' like he did against Uruguay.