Portugal achieved a landslide victory over Switzerland, 6-1, in a match that witnessed Ronaldo’s participation in the last quarter of an hour, after he started it as an unusual reserve.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Santos said that the decision to exclude the captain from the starting line-up was “tactical”, despite what appeared to be anger on Ronaldo’s part after he was substituted against South Korea in the last Group H confrontation.
Santos’ statements regarding Ronaldo’s exclusion:
• “I already explained it. I won’t explain it again. They (the Swiss players) are different. (Ronaldo’s exclusion) was part of the game plan.”
• “That was what I thought we would need for this match against Switzerland.”
• “There is no problem between me and Ronaldo. We have been friends for many years. The players make the decisions. It does not affect us.”
Santos’ surprise in the meeting was the payment of young Gonzalo Ramos (21 years) instead of Ronaldo (37 years), who dazzled everyone with his performance and scored a hat-trick.
Santos pushed the Portuguese striker Benfica to lead the line of attack, although he made his debut just 3 days before the start of the World Cup in a friendly match.
Ramos played only 10 minutes as a substitute in the World Cup, but he seemed to belong to the category of veteran players in major tournaments with an unforgettable performance for Portugal, which was not affected by the absence of Ronaldo, the substitute whose goal was canceled due to offside.
Ramos led Portugal to the quarter-finals for the first time in 16 years, where he faces Morocco, who overcame Spain after an epic match that ended in a penalty shootout.
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