Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped to the bench for Portugal’s round of 16 clash with Switzerland on Tuesday at the Lusail Stadium. The 37-year-old watched his replacement Goncalo Ramos score a hat-trick in an emphatic 6-1 victory for his nation.
Ramos, who was making his first start for Portugal, opened the scoring in the 17th minute, before completing his hat-trick with a second half double. Veteran centre-back Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao also scored for Seleção das Quinas.
Portugal topped Group H with Ronaldo starting all three games, scoring in a record fifth World Cup after breaking the deadlock against Ghana in their opener. Fernando Santos, however, was displeased with the striker's reaction to being substituted in their final group game against South Korea, which they lost 2-1.
The captain’s absence did not prove costly for Santos’s side, with a stunning performance led by 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos. The Benfica forward opened the scoring when he drilled a powerful strike past Yann Sommer at his near post to reward Portugal’s strong start.
Pepe doubled Portugal’s lead with a bullet header from Bruno Fernandes’ corner in the 33rd minute, making him the second oldest scorer in the tournament’s history at 39. The Porto defender must have a thing for the opening knockout game at a World Cup, scoring the only goal in Portugal’s defeat to Uruguay at this stage four years ago.
The second half brought about no change, with it taking only six minutes for Ramos to have the ball in the back of the net once again. A swift near post run was rewarded with a delightful cross from Diogo Dalot to put Portugal in cruise control. Four minutes later the forward would give back to his teammates with an assist of his own, setting up Raphael Guerriero to make it 4-0.
A very strong performance was not to be without fault, when Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji got one back for the Rossocrociati. Akanji’s second goal for his nation was proved to be no more than a consolation goal though, when normality was restored nine minutes later.
Ramos completed his dream full debut with a skilful chip to score the first hat-trick of the World Cup 2022. If you want to know more about the main man of the game, you can read all about him by clicking below.
With the game at 5-1, Ramos decided it was time to bring on Cristiano Ronaldo. The stands of the Lusail Stadium erupted in applause at his arrival in the 74th minute, and it wasn’t long before he fired the ball home. Disappointment was to follow though, with the linesman raising his flag for offside.
Portugal were not finished yet though, with yet another young striker Rafael Leao scoring his second goal of the tournament so far in the 92nd minute, just five minutes after his entrance to the field.
Cristiano Ronaldo may be the talk of many people, but all credit must go to a well drilled and effective Portugal side today without him leading them out.
Portugal look forward to a quarter-final tie with surprise package Morocco on Saturday, who knocked out Spain on penalties in the biggest shock of the last 16 this year. For Switzerland it’s a horrific end to the World Cup, with many expecting them to pose a threat to most teams in Qatar this winter. See the video below for all the highlights from ITV Sport.
By Scott O'Neill
How far can Portugal go?
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Runners up
Winners
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