Ronaldo in need of Portugal supporting cast to perform
Cristiano Ronaldo’s off-night against Iran nearly cost Portugal their World Cup dream and underlined the stark need for his team-mates to contribute more in support of the Real Madrid superstar.
Ronaldo carried Portugal through their first two group games, hitting a memorable hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Spain before netting the winner in a gritty 1-0 victory over Morocco.
That left the European champions requiring just a point from their clash with Carlos Queiroz’s Iran in Saransk, but an uncharacteristic display from…