`I WILL PUT ON ... WHOEVER I THINK IS BEST'
Benching Ronaldo proved to be right move by Portugal's manager against Switzerland
It has taken 56 matches to reduce a field of 32 teams down to eight.
Morocco and Portugal became the last two teams to qualify for the quarterfinals Tuesday, with vastly different encounters.
Portugal put the boots to Switzerland 6-1 with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench for most of the game. The global superstar was left out of the starting lineup by Portugal head coach Fernando Santos, in what appeared to be a power move, after Ronaldo was critical of his boss for substituting him out of a group-stage game against South Korea.
Ronaldo looked like a sheepish child when called on to come as a substitute against Switzerland with the score already 5-0. Ronaldo came on with 15 minutes to play and promptly scored a goal, but it was waved off for offside.
Goncalo Ramos, the 21-yearold who replaced Ronaldo in the starting lineup, went on to score three goals in the win, making Santos look like a genius on the world stage.
“Honestly, nobody talked about it in the changing room,” Ramos said after the game. “As our captain, Cristiano did what he usually does before any game; he motivated us and offered me and all the others some words of encouragement.”
Santos stated before the match, Ronaldo was left out for strategic reasons and it was not a disciplinary move. It seems unlikely, however, the 37-year-old star would have started on the bench had he not called out his coach in the previous match.
“Cristiano is currently a more fixed player, more of an area player. Goncalo is quite different, he is a more dynamic player,” said Santos, explaining the decision after the match. “He attacks the spaces in midfield very strong, he has a strong competitive nature, that's what I saw at his club. It's the observations I've seen in training, he has shown that.
“He had already come on in the first and second match, and there's a reason for that. We have three different strikers who I have total confidence in, and I will put on the pitch whoever I think is best for the match. I have always done that in my career.”
Santos is considered to be a father figure for Ronaldo and was upset with his star player for putting himself above the team.
“I have a very close relationship with Ronaldo, I always have; I've known him since he was 19 years old in Sporting (Lisbon),” Santos said. “We've always had a strong relationship and then he started to develop in the national squad when I arrived in 2014. From there, the relationship has developed.
“I think Ronaldo and I never misinterpreted the human aspect of the relationship with that of manager and player and that's what we need to do during a match and that's what we'll continue to do. I will always consider my role that he is a very important player to the team.”
Now Portugal moves on to play Morocco, which shocked Spain by winning a penalty shootout after a scoreless tie. Santos faces the question of whether to bring Ronaldo back to the starting lineup or stick with the kid who scored three goals in his first start in the tournament.
“Right now, we have to look at them and decide what's the best strategy for this match,” Santos said. “That's what led to Ronaldo being switched out. I've said it three times already back there, and I also said it at yesterday's conference. That matter was already discussed. I made it clear that it was a normal switch. That page is turned.
“We also must look back on the great example that this amazing player (Ronaldo) is. He's the best in the world, an example of professionalism, of a captain, of a goal scorer and of determination.”
Ronaldo parted ways with Manchester United prior to the tournament and was reportedly set to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal worth $200 million euros per season with Saudi club Al Nassar after the tournament. Ronaldo denied the move after the win against Switzerland.
“No, that's not true,” he told reporters in the mix zone. “It's not true.”
Regardless, Portugal looked better with Ronaldo off the field than they did with him on it at this tournament, which should make things interesting for them going forward.
If Portugal gets past Morocco, it is on a collision course with either England or France in the semifinal. Then a meeting with Lionel Messi and Argentina in the final is possible, which would be fitting considering the two best players in the game for the better part of the last two decades are both playing in their final World Cup tournaments, still looking for the ultimate prize.
Argentina will play the Netherlands in the late game Friday at the Lusail Stadium, while Brazil and Croatia will meet in the early game at Education City.
England will face France at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday in the late game, while Portugal and Morocco will play at the Al Thumama Stadium in the early game.
Morocco deserved full credit for knocking off Spain, which again passed itself out of a tournament, refusing to be more aggressive in its attacking approach.
Morocco's Montreal-born goalkeeper Yassine Bounou stopped two penalties in the shootout.
“I'd like to congratulate all the players, what they've done today is extraordinary; their energy, their willpower to not lose this game, to hang on facing one of the world's best teams, the best of the tournament in terms of possession,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui. “They made us sweat; they made us run, we expected this kind of game.”