Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal Cruise Past Algeria in 3-0 Friendly Win

Portugal ended their 2018 FIFA World Cup preparations with a 3-0 win over Algeria on Thursday as Cristiano Ronaldo made a victorious return to the national team lineup in their final warm-up fixture.

Goncalo Guedes netted a brace for Fernando Santos' side along with a first-half header from Bruno Fernandes, while substitute Joao Mario had an 85th-minute goal disallowed for a hand-ball.

Real Madrid's European commitments meant Ronaldo missed Portugal's last two friendlies, but his return proved timely as they get ready to open their World Cup Group B campaign against Spain on Friday, June 15.

Ronaldo Rounding into Champion Form as World Cup Inches Closer 

No sooner had Ronaldo returned to the Portugal starting XI than their morale and, by extension, their form on the pitch began to show almost instant improvement.

The Selecao captain wasn't involved in Guedes' opener, set up by Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, but he did supply the cross that laid it on a plate for Sporting Lisbon attacker Fernandes to net his maiden international goal.

Perhaps the biggest positive for Santos & Co. to take from Thursday's win is how well their formation worked without a recognised frontman, as noted by broadcaster Matteo Bonetti:

The new set-up allowed Silva, Fernandes and mainly Guedes to benefit, while left-back Raphael Guerreiro also looked to offer his usual contribution in attack and William Carvalho showed extra verve moving forward.

AC Milan's out-of-form forward Andre Silva was benched by Santos, and unfortunately for him, the fluidity that Ronaldo, Fernandes and Guedes enjoyed in attack appeared to work wonders, per blogger Alex Goncalves:

But Ronaldo was a major factor behind that. Algeria undoubtedly paid extra attention to the Real hitman and perhaps focused too intently on his return, relieving Portugal's other attackers of some pressure.

However, writer Tom Kundert did critique one example of Portugal's stars still attempting to force the issue with Ronaldo when other options were apparent:

While Ronaldo's return after his fifth UEFA Champions League title is great news, it's essential Portugal look to him as an extra tool in the grand scheme and not the sole end product.

Portugal Show Signs of Improvement, but Hard to Get Excited Yet

Without attempting to rain on Portugal's parade, it's crucial the European champions don't allow their egos to be inflated by such a confident win over Algeria, who are 66th in the FIFA rankings—a full 62 places below them.

This is a team that lost their previous three matches coming to the Estadio da Luz, and blogger Walid Bylka rightfully asked questions of manager Rabah Madjer after he was slow to respond tactically Thursday:

The Fennec Foxes managed to find the target just twice, per Flashscore.com, and Portugal really could have used a greater test ahead of their trip to Russia, which could leave them with a false sense of security.

Portugal's next opponents, 2010 World Cup winners Spain, will be a different beast altogether, and DZ Football illustrated just how far off the pace Thursday's victims were at times:

The Selecao had drawn games against Belgium and Tunisia prior to their clash with Algeria, so perhaps a morale booster was precisely what was needed in some ways.

European champions or not, some may struggle to agree with former Portugal superstar Deco, who recently said his old side are among the favourites in Russia, via Goal:

An actual World Cup contender might have scored twice the amount of goals against Algeria that Portugal did Thursday, with only seven of their 18 shots finding the target.

Against a team that's failed to keep a clean sheet in four outings this year, Thursday's victory was a bit too lackadaisical, and Portugal's performance indicated they're not yet the polished product.

What's Next?

That's a wrap on the World Cup warm-ups for Portugal, who now have a week's respite before they face Spain in their World Cup opener on June 15. Algeria have no World Cup to look forward to, meanwhile, and they're not back in action until their 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Gambia in September.