Cristiano Ronaldo's thoughts on playing for Portugal may explain World Cup fury

Cristiano Ronaldo looked dejected as Portugal 's chances of World Cup qualification suffered a blow during a 2-1 home defeat by Serbia.

The Portugal skipper watched on helplessly as Aleksandar Mitrovic headed home a last-gasp winner that will force Ronaldo and co to secure their place at Qatar 2022 via the play-offs.

As is often the case with Ronaldo, the Manchester United icon struggled to hide his emotions at full-time, slumping to the floor in frustration as his opponents celebrated emphatically around him.

Tears quickly turned to anger for Portugal's skipper, as he made his feelings clear to under-fire boss Fernando Santos come the full-time whistle.

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Despite the cameras closely monitoring his every move, Ronaldo failed to hide his anger at the situation while other players were exchanging handshakes.

Santos approached his talisman, who did eventually shake his hand but did not stop his protests as he made his way off the pitch and down the tunnel.

Just before he left the pitch, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner paused for a moment of reflection, hands on hips as he wore the pain of defeat all over his face.

Individual brilliance scuppered by a dismal collective effort seams to be the story of Ronaldo's season so far for both club and country.

While Man Utd's struggles will undoubtedly hurt Ronaldo, an international teammate of the star has revealed how he may view matters for his country as even more important.

When discussing Portugal's Euro 2016 success, Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares gave an insight into how highly Ronaldo cherishes international success.

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Speaking to ESPN, Cedric explained: "Even Cristiano [Ronaldo] used to say, 'Winning something for your country is something different: You feel it in a different way.'"

The debate as to who is the best player in the world between Ronaldo or Lionel Messi rages on, but prior to the Argentine's Copa America success, Ronaldo's Euro win in 2016 was often a factor cited in his favour.

Before this international break, Ronaldo had notched a stunning six goals in his last three games for his country - but failed to find the net on either occasion against the Republic of Ireland or Serbia.

Santos' side needed four points from their final two games to automatically qualify for next year's tournament - but mustered just one after drawing 0-0 with Ireland last week.

There are a number of tough tests potentially waiting for Portugal in the play-offs, with Sweden, Russia and Poland all yet to have their fate decided.

Ronaldo has already previously confessed the 2022 World Cup will be his last major tournament for Portugal, but the nation are now staring down the barrel of failing to reach it.