Group D: Portugal 2, Iran 0 If this was an emotional Saturday afternoon for Portugal as they secured a second-round berth at a World Cup for the first time since 1966, it was particularly so for Cristiano Ronaldo. The sight of the winger sinking to his knees and shouting at the heavens after he tucked away the penalty that clinched victory told of more than delight at his country's progress.
For him it must have been a release of pent-up feelings after a difficult few days. Substituted against Angola to his obvious dismay after too often playing to the gallery rather than for the team, Ronaldo saw some of the Portuguese media call for his omission. Luiz Felipe Scolari stood by him and, as Ronaldo dropped to the turf, the coach jumped for joy.
The pressure on Ronaldo to perform had been intensified, making a penalty miss all the more unthinkable. Though Portugal were 1-0 up and reasonably comfortable, games can turn on such moments and no less a player than Luis Figo has ducked out of spot-kicks after a barren run. Ronaldo, having hit the bar against Angola, seen a header cleared off the line by Iran and then struck the side-netting, may have wondered if his luck was out.
His calm penalty capped a personal display that steadily improved without reaching the level Portugal will surely need against Holland or Argentina in the next round. If end-product remained in thin supply from the 21-year-old's possession in wide areas, he was not helped by being frequently fouled in the second half.
Nonetheless, his ability to lurch from useful to wasteful remains a frustration. Individualism is more than welcome and lifts Ronaldo above the ordinary but his grasp of when and where to try certain tricks remains shaky. Scolari was annoyed by one moment of indulgence, though lessons from the first match have been absorbed by the Manchester United player.
Ronaldo's pleasure will have been heightened by the presence of his grandfather, who had travelled from Australia and whom he had not seen in 15 years. Members of Ronaldo's family have rented a house in Dusseldorf for the tournament.
Scolari's team remained uninspiring for long periods but had better attacking cohesion and deserved to win, with Deco's return a factor.
He and Figo looked the brightest individuals, confirmed when Figo cut in to set up Deco for a well-taken, first-time shot that put Portugal ahead. Figo then won a penalty when adjudged to have been tripped by Yahya Golmohammadi. Miguel earlier showed signs of his threat as an attacking right-back.
"It's an historic day for Portugal, 40 years since we last made it to the second round," Figo said. "We should all be proud."
It is not just England who have been unhealthily obsessed with 1966.
SUBSTITUTIONS
PORTUGAL: Petit for Maniche (66 mins), Tiago for Deco (80), Simao for Figo (88 mins). Subs not used: Paulo Ferreira, Caneira, Ricardo Costa, Boa Morte, Nuno Gomes, Paulo Santos, Postiga, Quim, Viana. Booked: Pauleta, Deco, Costinha.
IRAN: Bakhtiarizadeh for Golmohammadi (88 mins), Zandi for Karimi (65 mins), Khatibi for Madanchi (66 mins). Subs not used: Borhani, Daei, Enayati, Kazemeian, Navidkia, Roudbarian, Sadeqi, Shojaei, Talebloo. Booked: Nekounam, Madanchi, Kaabi, Golmohammadi.
Referee: Eric Poulat (France).
