As Ricardo Quaresma stepped up to the penalty spot with the chance to put Portugal through to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo stood 15 yards away from his team-mates, seemingly praying.
The Selecao captain had the most to lose. He had had a rare off-night in front of goal against Poland and, at 31 years of age, this was perhaps his final chance at international glory.
Ronaldo turned arms aloft and ran to the bench.
Playing as an out-and-out target man seems a waste of his prodigious talents, but he made the most of it, holding the ball up, working the channels, dragging defenders out of position and making space for his team-mates.
For most of the evening, Portugal's tactics appeared clear - get the ball wide and whip crosses into the box. It was not subtle, but it should have paid dividends a minute later when Pazdan barged clumsily into the back of Ronaldo. It looked a clear penalty, but referee Felix Brych waved play on.
Ronaldo's radar continued to malfunction after the break, shooting lamely into the sidenetting after 56 minutes.
His night was to get worse, however, as he missed the chance to spare everyone at the Stade Velodrome the tedium of extra-time when, having latched on to substitute Joao Moutinho's delighted chipped pass, he kicked thin air when faced only with Fabianski.
An early chance came and went in extra-time as he couldn't rearrange his feet to turn in Eliseu's ball.
Robert Lewandowski ended his own personal goal drought with his first goal of the tournament after just 100 seconds, expertly steering home Kamil Grosicki's left-wing cross.
Renato Sanches then threatened to take the stage away from both Lewandowski and Ronaldo.
At just 18 years and 316 days, he was the youngest player to start for Portugal at a major tournament - breaking Ronaldo's record, coming into the side to replace the injured Andres Gomes.
Sanches and Nani played a neat one-two on the right-side of the Poland penalty area and, when the ball fell back at the feet of the Bayern Munich new-boy, he fired in with the aid of a slight deflection off Grzegorz Krychowiak.
Sanches ran out of steam as the match ambled towards its inevitable conclusion.
He stepped up and scored in the shootout, as did Ronaldo, as young and old combined to send Poland home and Portugal through to a clash with either Wales or Belgium on July 6.
