FARO, Portugal -- If anyone is still wondering whether Manchester United are getting a Cristiano Ronaldo whose best days are firmly behind him, just ask the shell-shocked Republic of Ireland players who thought they had denied him a goal-scoring world record in Estadio Algarve, only to see the Portugal captain smash it and then add to it in the space of seven crazy minutes at the end of a 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory.
Nobody does remarkable football drama quite like Ronaldo, but this historic night in Faro was up there with all of the great moments of his incredible career, largely because, for 89 minutes, he was having one of those nights when everything seemed to be going against him and his team.