Cristiano Ronaldo cries after Portugal fail to qualify for World Cup

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo did not hesitate to show how devastated he felt after Portugal blew an early lead to lose 1-2 at the hands of Serbia in Sunday's Group A clash in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The result puts Serbia through to the World Cup finals in Qatar next year, with Portugal falling back into the playoffs for their last attempt to qualify to the prestigious tournament.

The Manchester United forward broke down in tears at the Estadio da Luz when he realised what happened, wearing his heart on his sleeve like he usually does on the pitch. It is a well-known fact that Ronaldo is very passionate about results regardless of the competition, but perhaps even more so when he is playing for Portugal.

Renato Sanches scored the first goal for the home side within just two minutes, giving Portugal the early momentum. However, the lead was cancelled out by an equaliser from Serbian captain Dusan Tadic just after the half-hour mark.

Portugal could have held on to a draw and they still would have advanced, but Ronaldo got a taste of his own medicine in stoppage time. Aleksandar Mitrovic scored the late winner for Serbia, similar to numerous last gasp winners that Ronaldo himself has scored in the past. This time, he was at the receiving end, and he felt the blow exceptionally hard coming from the other side.

He did try to make a heroic attempt at goal in the closing minutes, but there was not enough time to manufacture another Ronaldo miracle.

It will be an agonising wait until the playoffs in March before Portugal can make another attempt to qualify. This will likely be the final World Cup for Ronaldo, who is currently 36 years old. That makes him even more desperate to lead his national team to World Cup glory, but he may not even get a chance to try.