Raging still against the dying of the light, fighting the years with every fibre of his being, chasing immortality with every step, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to play in six European Championship finals when he took the field for Portugal against Czech Republic at the Red Bull Arena.

He won his 208th cap, he basked in the adulation of supporters who still worship him, he played at the head of a lavishly talented side who did everything they could to set him up with what would have been his 15th goal at the tournament.

He flung himself at headers, went down in spectacular heaps, zipped a free kick over a wall and straight into the arms of the Czech keeper and saw a couple of shots beaten away. He didn't let himself down but he is not Peter Pan, either. He might hate the idea but age has taken the edge off his genius.

But he fought and he fought and Roberto Martinez kept his 39-year-old talisman on to the bitter end. And just when it seemed the win was not going to come and Ronaldo's record 26th appearance in the finals was going to end in a draw, the fairy-tale happened.

It didn't happen for him but it did happen for his team and this iteration of Cristiano behaves now as if that is enough, apparently. He is not the fitful presence he was at the 2022 World Cup when he could not come to terms with his fading importance to the side.