RONALDO OVERSHADOWS PORTUGAL'S BIG MATCH
All eyes will be scanning for striker's name on starting 11 in World Cup quarterfinal
Portugal is on the verge of making it to the semifinal of the World Cup for the third time in its history, yet all the talk leading into its game Saturday against Morocco is regarding Cristiano Ronaldo.
Will he start or won't he?
The 37-year-old superstar was parked on the bench for 75 minutes of the 6-1 victory against Switzerland in the previous round and his 21-year-old replacement, Goncalo Ramos, went on to score a hat trick.
Ronaldo got in trouble with his coach Fernando Santos after objecting to being substituted in essentially a meaningless game against South Korea in the group stage.
In what appeared to be a power move, Santos sat Ronaldo against Switzerland and it worked out so well there is speculation he will start on the bench again in the quarterfinal against Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium.
Ronaldo was rumoured to be so unhappy with his head coach he might leave the team altogether, but Santos dispelled that Friday.
“He has never told me that he wanted to leave our national team,” Santos said. “I think it's time we stopped with this conversation and stopped trying to create problems.”
Ronaldo has been the face of Portugal soccer for the better part of two decades and almost single-handedly helped it win the 2016 Euro championship, even though he was injured early into the final.
So, to be dropped unceremoniously from the starting 11 was tough for Ronaldo, who is currently without a club after parting ways with Manchester United prior to the tournament.
It was reported Ronaldo was set to sign a Us$200-milliona-year contract with Saudi club Al Nassar after the tournament. Ronaldo denied the move after the win against Switzerland.
Santos admitted he approached Ronaldo before revealing his lineup against Switzerland to the rest of the team.
“Yes, we did have a conversation and it would have been wrong if we didn't have this conversation,” Santos said. “Since I've taken over the national team, I have worked to have a closer relationship with the players;
I've always done that throughout my career.
“I don't have conversations like that with all my players, but he's the captain of the team and it's important to recognize what he represents for Portugal football, for the Portuguese people and for the national team. I needed to talk to him.”
Santos was not happy with video showing Ronaldo's displeasure at being substituted in the 65th minute against Korea. Portugal had already gone through with wins against Ghana and Uruguay and went on to lose the game 2-1.
Three days later, Ronaldo was on the bench, which Santos said was a tactical move and that is what he told his star player.
“When we had this conversation, it was on the match day, after lunch, I didn't have any conversations with him before that,” Santos said. “On that day, the day of the game, I explained to him why he would not start. I explained it to him, because I didn't want him to be surprised.
“Obviously, Cristiano was not very happy about it. He's always been a starter, with the exception of one or two games. He asked if I really thought it was a good idea. We had a normal conversation where I explained to him my viewpoints and he accepted and we had a normal conversation.”
Considering the way Portugal played against Switzerland, it might not matter either way if Ronaldo starts.
“Whether Cristiano is on the field or not, there are some things that occur when he's not on and some that happen with him on it,” Portugal forward Joao Felix said. “It really depends. I think in the Switzerland match, maybe we played differently for other reasons and when he's not on the field, we have other players who do different things in another manner.”
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes his living with Tottenham Hotspur, so he is well aware of the threat England presents heading into their quarterfinal matchup Saturday.
France is looking to repeat as World Cup champion and become the first nation to do it since Pele and Brazil accomplished the feat in 1958 and 1962.
“The English players are internationally renowned for their league, the Premier League, and for their very competitive clubs in European competitions, too,” Lloris said Friday. “Most of us know them very well; we're used to coming up against them, others even get to see them every day in England.”
France and England have not met at a World Cup since the group stage in 1982 in Spain. England won 3-1, but went on to be eliminated in the second group phase of that particular tournament. France advanced to the semifinal, where it lost in an epic penalty shootout to West Germany after taking a two-goal lead in extra time.
“The France-england rivalry, it obviously exists,” Lloris said. “They're two major nations in football, but this rivalry exists in other sports, too, like rugby. Whenever you're in a competition involving two top-level teams, it generates great battles and in an event like the World Cup; a France-england game obviously has a special flavour.”