India, July 1 -- Visibly annoyed, Cristiano Ronaldo looked up. It was taking Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed quite a while to set up the wall after Portugal were awarded a free kick from a position of promise, against Uzbekistan.

Finally, the clearance came from the official, and Ronaldo went through his usual process. There was the deep breath and release, eyes focused on the ball, then towards goal, all as he stood in his trademark wide-legged free-kick stance. This was his moment. The Uzbeks knew it, so did the 68,777 that were present in the Houston Stadium.

Then came the movement. But not from Ronaldo.

To his right, Nuno Mendes exploded into a short run-up and struck a shot with his left foot that took Uzbekistan by surprise and the ...