Cristiano Ronaldo angrily walked off his teammates after his replacement Goncalo Ramos helped Portugal win against Switzerland to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal.
Portugal smashed the Swiss 6-1 in a thrilling round of 16 clash with Cristiano Ronaldo replacement Goncalo Ramos bagging a hat-trick.
For the first time since 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to start a knockout game for the Portuguese side and it was pretty an uncomfortable experience for the five times Ballon d’Or winner.
He cut an isolated figure after the 6-1 win and it appears the performance of his replacement Goncalo Ramo added more salt to the injury.
However, Portugal boss Dos Santos subbed him on in the 73rd minute, but that did not really changed the game neither did he add much impetus and momentum to the attack.
Clearly, Goncalo Ramos outperformed Ronaldo in the Portugal frontline and won the heart of the Portuguese fans who needed a win against the Swiss at the Lusail Stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Portugal in the 2022 World Cup, becoming the first player in history to score in five different World Cups. However it appears he has been lining below expectation so far in the tournament.
Since converting the penalty kick against Ghana in the World Cup opener, he has witnessed a goal drought so far in the tournament. Against Uruguay, Ronaldo claimed a controversial Bruno goal, which was later confirmed as Bruno’s not his.
Against South Korea, coach Santos subbed him off in the second half of the game, and he was obviously angry going off. He appeared to make some disrespectful remarks towards Dos Santos, but when asked later, he said he directed his angry outburst to a South Korean player who attempted to hurry him off the pitch when he was subbed off.
In the 6-1 win over Switzerland, Ronaldo exhibited a similar temper after the Portuguese side wrapped up the win over the Swiss.
While his teammates were celebrating the win, attending to the acclaim of their fans in the Lusail Stadium, who were hailing the team for a heroic performance, a furious Ronaldo was spotted walking off the pitch and heading to the exit tunnel.
He did not join in the celebrations, and ignored all the eyes and attention of the coaching staff while taking his pace off the pitch.
Pundits have claimed that Ronaldo’s angry outburst when he was subbed against South Korea may be the reason Dos Santos dropped him on the bench. However, in post match press conference, Dos Santos confirmed that his decision to drop off the five times Ballon d’Or winner on the bench was not related to the incidence in the South Korea game.
According to him, it was purely a tactical move on his end to shuffle the attack and best the strategies of the Swiss going into the game.
Ronaldo is yet to record a World Cup knockout goal for Portugal, but his replacement Goncalo Ramos netted three times on his debut.
Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the scenario by the former Manchester United forward. His reaction draws parallel with his walk off scenarios at Manchester United.
English pundit and former teammate Gary Neville said Ronaldo has to control his attitude during games following the incident
The Santos-led squad was on top of their game and put up a stunning performance against the Swiss team even without Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch.
Concalo Ramos, who replaced Ronaldo in the team, bagged a hat-trick in the game – the first hat-trick in this tournament so far.
Ronaldo was later subbed into the game in the 73rd minute, but that did not change the scoreline or add much impetus and momentum to the Portuguese attack.
After becoming the first player to score in five consecutive World Cups, he has not gotten his name on the scoresheet for Portugal again in the tournament.
