Portugal suffered defeat in their final Nations League game of the 2022 campaign on Tuesday night, with Cristiano Ronaldo again failing to impress.
Alvaro Morata's goal two minutes from time was enough for Spain to secure top spot in Group 2 of League A, one point ahead of Portugal. Ronaldo is captain of A Seleção and the highest scorer in international football history.
But he has been struggling badly this season, scoring just one goal in all competitions for Manchester United. He has kept his place in the national team despite that poor form, though pressure has been mounting on his position on the international stage.
Ahead of the clash with Spain, leading Portuguese newspaper A Bola called for Ronaldo to be dropped, saying he is 'losing his influence' and should have his 'game volume reduced'. National team boss Fernando Santos opted to ignore the paper though, starting Ronaldo up-front.
It was a decision that failed to pay off though, with Ronaldo enduring a wretched night as Portugal suffered their first home competitive defeat to Spain for more than 80 years. He had a number of chances to get on the scoresheet, starting just before the half-hour mark.
A brilliant sweeping move from the hosts saw them break into the Spanish penalty area, but it broke down after a heavy first touch from Ronaldo allowed the visitors' defence to clear. Ronaldo again had an opportunity to score two minutes into the second-half, but he was unable to beat Unai Simon from close range.
HAVE YOUR SAY! What should be Manchester United's starting line-up for Sunday's Manchester derby? Comment below.
Soon after, Spain were opened up again, with Ronaldo finding himself one-on-one with Simon. But yet another heavy touch allowed a defender to get back and clear the ball before he shot.
With Morata having put Spain ahead with two minutes to go, Portugal pressed forward, handing Ronaldo another huge chance right at the death. But his shot from a tight angle was saved by Simon, handing Spain a famous win.
It is far from ideal preparation ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby and is certainly not what United boss Erik ten Hag hoped from the superstar. The Dutchman has already insisted he will not treat Ronaldo any differently from the other players under his management at Old Trafford.
“I will be his friend. Sometimes I will be his teacher. It depends on the situation. As we all know, he didn’t have the pre-season and you can not miss the pre-season. Especially the game we play," Ten Hag said earlier this month.
"The way of play is not the type in comparison with last year. It depends, (and) demands, co-operation and demands certain positioning, in and out of possession. And the other thing is the fitness.
"We are happy with him, he's happy to be here and we want to make the season a success together. From the start we said we planned with him. It's your vision, not my vision. We are all on one page."
"You can see in training that it is clear that he has the capabilities. He will fit in because… I don't have to explain. Great player. He will fit in every system or every style. That's why we are talking, I said we are on one page. He knows what the demands are."
