Portugal 1 Sweden 0: Ronaldo again!!!!!1

+Eliudaganze eliud pro m  Portugal 1 Sweden 0: Ronaldo  again!!!!!1

The compelling thing about truly great footballers is that you can never take your eyes off them. 

On Friday night Cristiano Ronaldo proved that point, toiling gallantly but fruitlessly for 80 minutes before finally intervening to almost win this two-legged tie all on his own right at the death.

With 10 minutes left to play at an anxious Estadio da Luz, Ronaldo and his Portugal team seemed bound for the return game in Stockholm on Tuesday night with the weight of the world on their shoulders, so unconvincing had their attempts to win this game been.

Clash of the titans: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic shake hands

Talisman: Zlatan Ibrahimovic's unique ability represents Sweden's greatest chance of World Cup qualification

Stage one: Cristiano Ronaldo leans in towards Sweden's Mikael Lustig

Stage two: The Portugal captain appears to attempt to headbutt the Sweden full-back

Stage three: Ouch! Mikael Lustig holds his face as Cristiano Ronaldo looks on

Much at stake: And Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as usual, appears prepared to fight for victory

Frustration: Cristiano Ronaldo was booked on a night in which he needed to inspire his team

Midfield battle: Portugal's Fabio Coentrao (left) vies for possession with Sweden's Sebastian Larsson

Jumping for glory: Cristiano Ronaldo leaps higher than Sweden's Sebastian Larsson

Taking the lead Cristiano Ronaldo dives low to head the ball past defender Martin Olsson (right) to put Portugal one up

Time to celebrate: Ronaldo (right) celebrates his crucial goal with his Portugal team-mates

Vital goal: Could Cristiano Ronaldo's header be the one to inspire Portugal to Brazil 2014?

Passionate support: Sweden's fans would be a welcome addition to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

Patriotic: But there are arguments that Portugal are the more talented of the two teams