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After Cristiano Ronaldo stretched out a limber leg to score his 901st career goal and beat Scotland, he rushed to the corner flag to perform his customary celebration with all the enthusiasm of a man scoring his first goal.
He’s not done with that, parading down the touchline gesticulating and shouting as if he’d just scored a goal worth more than three points in the Nations League.
The 39-year-old has left the main stage of club football with his move to the Saudi Pro League, and his ecstasy at scoring another great goal for his country in a packed and noisy Estadio da Luz tells you he probably knows it.
But his determination, his hunger for goals and success, and his almost unmatched finishing prowess are such that he continues to find a way to stay relevant.
Left on the bench and released at half-time by Roberto Martinez with Scotland leading 1-0, the game almost instantly became Ronaldo’s spectacle.
Before his winning goal, he hit both posts, moaned and gesticulated furiously at the referee and his teammates, while being chased by a pitch invader at one point.
Scoring 901 professional goals is a ridiculous feat, but – such is his ferocious appetite – you really wouldn’t bet against him reaching 1,000.
Nobody tells Ronaldo when to retire. Even though some would like him to.
Work to be done on Clarke’s evolution
Scotland have become the 48th international team to suffer at Ronaldo’s feet, which is hardly a surprise.
But beyond that game and the defeat to Poland, there are still points that worry Steve Clarke’s team. Five goals conceded take the total to 33 conceded in the last 14 games.
In five of their last six games, the Red Devils have conceded a goal after the 85th minute. That makes it one win in 14 games and no competitive wins last year.
Against top-level opponents, Scotland do not seem able to contain the wave of goals. And what’s more, those scored at the end of the match.
“I’ve been telling my players that we have to understand what part of the cycle we’re in, what we’re trying to build,” head coach Clarke said afterwards.
“We’re trying to readjust after the summer. We can lose these games to try to build and make sure that the end goal, as always, is to qualify for the tournament.”
It suggests Clarke is trying to recalibrate the way his side play after a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign in which they barely fired a shot.
The switch from a five-man defence to a 4-2-3-1 showed better glimpses of attacking quality, and Scotland enjoyed a good spell after conceding an equaliser through Bruno Fernandes.
The addition of Ryan Gauld, Ben Doak and Tommy Conway to the side also suggests a different approach ahead of next year’s World Cup qualifiers.
Clarke described the situation as an evolution, not a revolution. Based on the data available so far, there is much work to be done, with little time to do it and a high-quality opposition to contend with.
McTominay now Scotland’s undisputed talisman
One thing is for sure, Scott McTominay will be at the centre of Clarke’s attempt at a reset as his remarkable goalscoring run continues in Lisbon.
The midfielder headed in the opening goal, his 10th goal for Scotland in his last 12 appearances.
That’s seven more than any other player in the same period.
His summer move from Manchester United to Napoli has been much talked about, with Erik ten Hag admitting he did not want the midfielder to leave.
Several United managers have struggled to crack the McTominay code, with different midfield roles producing mixed results.
With Scotland, it was also an element that played in this direction. Two years ago, the 27-year-old played at right centre-back when he played for his national team.
He scored just one goal in his first 37 caps and has now added 10 more in his last 17 caps since moving into an advanced midfield role.
McTominay is now Scotland’s undisputed talisman.
“He seems to enjoy playing for Scotland,” former Scotland striker James McFadden told BBC Radio Scotland.
“He will certainly be helped by his transfer to Naples.
“He’s not a conventional number 10. It’s all about his athleticism, his energy to go forward and his intelligence to get into really good positions to score. His finishing is brilliant.”
