Ronaldo does it his way

Cristiano Ronaldo has clearly been borrowing some of Wayne Rooney’s hair product, judging both by his smooth new hairstyle and his ultra slick performance against the Czech Republic in which he stamped his mark on this tournament.

Ronaldo’s performance was breathtaking at times, also hitting the woodwork twice and guiding his team into the semi-finals with energy and desire.

It was a real achievement, and a real big moment in Ronaldo’s career given the way international football has treated him since he burst onto the scene in 2004 and lost an agonising European Championship final on home soil against surprise package Greece.

In fact if Rooney thinks he has pressure on his shoulders for England then perhaps he should try being Ronaldo for a day; because the Real Madrid forward is expected to win matches pretty much on his own for a team that these days has few other stars.

It’s hard to feel too much sympathy given the former Manchester United man’s giant ego, which prompts him to strut, pose and proclaim himself the best player in the world at regular intervals. But captaining Portugal and trying to win games from the wing cannot be easy when he has so few team-mates who measure up to his own exacting standards.

That job wasn’t made any easier when Helder Postiga — Portugal’s only striker — was substituted with a muscle injury in the first half; but Ronaldo proved he is perfectly capable of doing it alone against a Czech side who will feel they didn’t give enough on what could have been such a big day for Michal Bilek’s side but in fact turned into a big disappointment.

Ronaldo, always the focus of attention from the very start, almost opened the scoring after 25 minutes — denied by a fine save from Petr Cech when put through the middle by Moutinho; and he was hugely unlucky not to put Portugal ahead on the stroke of half-time, turning superbly on a Meireles pass to strike a right-foot shot against the post with Cech well beaten.

That was the half’s one moment of pure quality; and Ronaldo produced another shortly after the break, firing a 25-yard trademark free-kick that also struck the woodwork with Cech grasping at thin air.

Nani had a penalty claim turned down by English referee Howard Webb in the first half and Hugo Almeida had a goal ruled out for offside in the second. But it was always going to be Ronaldo who broke the deadlock.

With only 11 minutes of the tie remaining, the excellent Moutinho — who did more than anyone to show Portugal are not necessarily a one-man team — skipped past his marker on the right and sent over a perfect cross — met firmly and spectacularly by the diving Ronaldo, who sent his effort thudding into the turf and up past Cech’s despairing grasp.

It was his 63rd goal of the season in all, his third here in Poland and Ukraine, and one that leaves Portugal on the brink of another final.

“It is brilliant for us to have passed into the semi-finals,” said Ronaldo.

“We are ready, we are confident. We are very mature, so we are ready for the fight.”

Can anyone afford to doubt Ronaldo any more?

Subs for Czech Republic: Rezek for Darida 61, Pekhart for Hubschman 86.

Subs for Portugal: Rolando for Meireles 88, Custodio for Nani 84, Almeida for Postiga 39.