Oh what a difference a single game can make!

Torn apart by critics for his abject performances, Cristiano Ronaldo gave the perfect riposte in a brilliant performance for Portugal, which saw the Netherlands wave goodbye to Euro 2012.

Ever since breaking onto the big stage, Ronaldo has been criticised for his performances for his country. Just like a certain Lionel Messi, Ronaldo has failed to live up to the expectations while playing for the maroon shirt of Portugal.

Ronaldo came into the match facing stinging criticism for his shoddy performance against Denmark, where he missed two sitters. The Danish crowd got under his skin, by chanting "Messi, Messi", every time he touched the ball. Asked about the Messi chanting, a clearly frustrated Ronaldo said: ""Do you know where Messi was this time last year?

"Do you know? Do you know or don't you? He was getting knocked out of the Copa America in his own country. I think that's worse, don't you?"

If ever his country needed a performance from arguably the greatest player to represent Portugal, it was against the Dutch at the Metalist stadium in Kharkiv.

All the skills so often seen in a Real Madrid shirt and previously in a Manchester United one were on view. The darting runs from the left. Cutting inside and taking a strike from outside the box; or going outside, leaving the defender for dead and setting up a team-mate to tap in an easy goal.

Ronaldo was not the frightened person, he looked against Denmark when presented with a goal-scoring opportunity. On Sunday, when given the chance, the Real Madrid talisman made absolutely no mistake. If his first strike was textbook finish in a one-on-one situation; his second emphasised the calm and composed figure that was Ronaldo against the formidable Dutch.

Ronaldo could and possibly should have had a hat-trick, hitting the post two times. He definitely should have added a couple of assists on the night as well, with his team-mate to blame for some poor finishing.

The ever-increasing Lionel Messi comparisons always seem to trouble and hurt Ronaldo. However, on Sunday, the 27-year-old proved he can take the heat and come out firing.

An already exciting Euro 2012 just added a chapter of Cristiano Ronaldo - not one of fading on the international stage, but one that involves skill and finishing prowess, and more importantly stepping up when his country needed him most.