The worst feeling for Cristiano Ronaldo was not that he didn’t score a goal against a team that last played the World Cup before he was born; or that his two attempts were weak and wayward; or that he looked a burden for the team; or that he disrupted the system or barely contributed to the defensive rigours. It was just that the ball had fallen out of love with him. Like a jilted lover, it shirked away from him, it turned away his glances, it turned back unreciprocated. Certainly, Ronaldo can still win his love back, the tournament is long and arduous, it could have been just a one-evening falling out. But at 41, his function in a squad bursting with attacking gifts, every bad outing evokes scrutiny and criticism. With every bad day, he seems to be moving closer to the horizon. Despite the age, the waning explosiveness, Ronaldo still has the bearings to sweet-spot the ball, fetch it where he wants to. Against Congo, he simply couldn’t. In the 68th minute Francisco …