As he stepped up to take his team's final spot-kick, he knew that all eyes were on him. The weight of his entire nation's hopes and dreams was firmly on his shoulders. And he knew that if he converted, Portugal would be through to the final four. If he did not, they could very well miss an opportunity to feature in the final for the first time since suffering heartbreak back in 2004.
Seemingly as cool as can be, he stepped up and fired home, thus sending Fernando Santos's men to the semi finals at the expense of Poland. It was perhaps fitting, especially given that it was his goal that got them to the quarter-finals in the first place - a last gasp effort off a rebound in a long and frustrating tie with Croatia.
If one has not been following Euro 2016, one would be forgiven for thinking that this was thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo. After all, it was his spot-kick that sealed Real Madrid's unprecedented 11th Champions League trophy this past May. Moreover, as his nation's all-time topscorer, he certainly has proven that he can be the go-to man in clutch situations.
CR7, however, has had a rather subdued tournament thus far, meaning that others have finally started stepping up to provide the support he needs. One of these teammates has been none other than former outcast Ricardo Quaresma.
And in a scene befitting of a Hollywood movie, the 32-year-old has been the game-decider for Portugal in their past two games. But how exactly did he go from serial underachiever to playing a vital role for the team this summer?
A downward spiral
As is the case with everyone, Ricardo Quaresma's journey began on a fairly promising note. The Lisbon-born attacker spent four years in Sporting CP's famed youth academy - where Cristiano Ronaldo also featured. In fact, both players were actually in the youth ranks and senior team at the same time.
And in their teenage years, they were compared to each other in terms of promise and potential, so naturally, the competition between the two was quite intense. Who knows, had things worked out, it may have grown to the level of the interesting Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry that some folks enjoy debating about today.
What could have been: Ricardo Quaresma (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo (middle) back in their Sporting CP days (with ex-Portugal coach Paulo Bento on the right)
In 2003, their paths diverged. Quaresma headed to Barcelona, whilst CR7 made his way over to Manchester United. And from then on, things would never be the same. Whereas Cristiano Ronaldo was growing into one of the top players in the world under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, his former Sporting CP colleague was beginning what would be a largely frustrating and nomadic existence.
A year at Barcelona did not pan out as planned, but Quaresma did enjoy a relatively successful spell with Sporting CP's rivals Porto, where he scored 30 goals in 156 appearances over the course of four seasons.
However, his fortunes took another nosedive when he moved to Serie A giants Inter. Even a brief loan spell at Chelsea was not able to revive his rapidly down-spiraling career. Meanwhile, his former teammate Cristiano was preparing to make a then world-record move to Real Madrid in 2009 after winning the first of his three Ballon d'Or titles till date.
Misery: Despite a solid run at Porto, Quaresma was a flop with Chelsea, where he failed to turn things around after struggling to establish himself at Italian powerhouse Inter
During the 2009-2010 season, he played little to no part as Jose Mourinho guided the Nerazzurri to become the first Italian side to win a Treble. And in June 2010, it was off to Turkey for the first of two spells with Super Lig titans Beşiktaş.
Trouble, unfortunately, followed him there, too. A reported fight with his manager saw him shipped off to the Middle East with Dubai-based Al Ahli, and then he returned to his native Portugal for another shot at the one team where he had managed to do relatively well: Porto.
Quaresma slowly began to re-gain his confidence during the 2014/2015 term with Porto before moving on for a second spell with Beşiktaş, where he plays his club football today
Out in the international wilderness
Quaresma, not surprisingly endured the same trials and tribulations with the Portuguese national team, where he made his senior debut in 2003. Struggles with form and fitness (in particular, a foot injury) kept him out of contention for Euro 2004 (both the senior and U-21 versions) as well as the Olympics that was contested in that same year.
However, his improved performances whilst with Porto earned him a recall to the team for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, but ultimately he had to watch the tournament from home as he was left out of the 23-man squad.
Two years later, he featured in his first major tournament - albeit on the basis of a series of cameo appearances. He was then not considered for the 2010 World Cup, and at UEFA Euro 2012, he never came off the bench.
Another two years passed, and Quaresma again got a chance to represent Portugal at a major tournament when he was named in the preliminary 30-man squad for the 2014 World Cup. Yet, just as before in 2006, he was left out of the squad.
A few years rolled by, and in came a new coach - Fernando Santos, who took over in September 2014. With Santos's arrival, Quaresma was finally brought out of the international wilderness and given a shot at the redemption he had been desperately seeking for over a decade.
Euro 2016 - Ricardo Quaresma's redemption
At Euro 2016, Portugal have not been as impressive as most would have expected. They managed to get out of their relatively easy group without winning a single game. And then, they put on a rather dull performance in their round of 16 tie with Croatia.
So, when they finally broke the deadlock, it appeared to seemingly come out of nowhere. In fact, it took them 117 minutes, but as the saying goes "better late than never". And given their past history, it perhaps is only fitting that two former club colleagues and rivals - Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma - were directly involved in the game's only goal, with Quaresma heading in CR7's attempt on the rebound.
Coming full circle: Over ten years after both played for Sporting CP, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma embrace after edging out Croatia in the round of 16
As of now, the former youth star has scored one goal and provided one assist whilst making one start and four sub appearances. This, of course, does not include his winning penalty during the shoot-out with Poland. All in all, he has featured for a total of 187 minutes at Euro 2016.
So, should he get a chance to start against Wales this Wednedsay? Or should he take on the role of a super-sub? For all intents and purposes, it appears that the second option could be best for Portugal, and here's why:
Quaresma's assist and two goals (including the penalty) came when he was brought on as a second-half sub, during the games against Hungary, Croatia, and Poland.
Hence, if history is any precedent, and stats are a good barometer, Quaresma's biggest impact has come from when he started off the bench. It will be interesting to see what role he manages to play as Portugal aspire to book their first Euro final appearance since losing on home turf 12 years ago.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
