Controversy continues within the state of affairs surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo within the FIFA World Cup. A day after Ronaldo was benched by supervisor Fernando Santos for the facet’s round-of-16 conflict towards Switzerland, it has been reported by Spanish information outlet Marca that Ronaldo missed a coaching session organized with the gamers who began on the bench within the knock-out conflict. Instead, Ronaldo stayed within the health club the place the starters did their work.
Ronaldo got here as an alternative within the 73rd minute of the match, changing Joao Felix. Portugal had registered an enormous 6-1 victory towards Switzerland within the knock-out match and sealed a quarterfinal conflict towards Morocco.
The Portuguese media was additionally stunned by Ronaldo’s absence within the coaching camp, as everybody had anticipated the star ahead to exit with the gamers who had been on the bench within the round-of-16 conflict.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos had thrown Ronaldo a lifeline, saying he’d proceed to pick out gamers in accordance with the strengths and weaknesses of the group’s opponent. But it’s unthinkable that Goncalo Ramos, the participant who changed Ronaldo within the XI, will lose his place now for the quarterfinal match towards Morocco.
“I will use what I believe is the right strategy, as I have done my entire life,” Santos stated, as bullish as ever.
Tellingly, Santos praised his group for taking part in with “a lot of fluidity” and “as a collective.” That fashion is tougher to forge when Ronaldo, whose mobility is simply not what it was, is the only real striker.
Meanwhile, Ramos wanted simply 72 minutes in his first begin at a World Cup — in truth, it was his first begin in worldwide soccer — to indicate he is perhaps the longer term. His ending, his link-up play and his work off the ball underlined why he’s being spoken of as one of many subsequent huge issues in Portuguese soccer. Ramos had scored a hat-trick and bagged an help throughout his keep within the match.