Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo during a FIFA World Cup group game against South Korea. AP
Preview: Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t in the starting lineup for Portugal’s match against Switzerland on Tuesday in the round of 16 of the World Cup.
The move came a day after his coach expressed frustration about his team captain’s attitude in the last game. Gonçalo Ramos, who plays for Portuguese club Benfica, is starting in Ronaldo’s place at Lusail Stadium.
Ronaldo showed obvious displeasure at being removed from the game against South Korea on Friday.
The 37-year-old striker opened the tournament with a goal against Ghana to become the first player to score in five different World Cups. But he was ineffective in Portugal’s final two games of group play and was pulled midway through the second half of a 2-1 loss to South Korea.
Ronaldo’s body language indicated the superstar was annoyed at being taken out of the game — something Portugal coach Fernando Santos remained silent about for nearly three days.
Finally in his Monday news conference, Santos conceded Ronaldo’s attitude in the game against South Korea was the one distraction — of many — that had pushed him too far.
In the last eight, Morocco await the winners of this contest between Portugal and Switzerland, after the African outfit stunned 2010 world champions Spain to win via penalty shootout, and reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the very first time.
It may be a good time to note that the Swiss had eliminated reigning World Cup champion France in the last 16 at the European Championship last year and has been one of the most consistent teams of this tournament.
“We have seen how euphoric Swiss people are about being at this stage,” coach Murat Yakin said Monday. “We’ve proven that we’re able to beat them.”
With inputs from AP
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