Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement Goncalo Ramos made a huge statement by scoring a stunning hat-trick in the World Cup clash between Portugal and Switzerland.
Portugal manager Fernando Santos sent shockwaves through the World Cup by dropping captain Ronaldo for the round of 16.
However, Ronaldo’s replacement in the centre-forward berth, Benfica’s Ramos, justified the decision just 17 minutes from the knockout stage.
Receiving the ball in the penalty area from Joao Felix, Ramos quickly turned and unleashed a sublime shot from a tight angle past Yann Sommer into the roof of the net.
“In the match of his life he scored the goal of his life,” talkSPORT’s Jim Proudfoot said.
England legend Stuart Pearce added: “My God, from a really tight angle he just turned around and unloaded a shot that went straight into the corner postage stamp.
“To be fair to the goalkeeper, he went past him before he even had time to blink. Credit to him who was almost unstoppable, the goalkeeper will be disappointed as they always are, but it was a strike.
“The goal would have thrilled the Portugal manager the most, sometimes your decisions work and sometimes they don’t. He has it all figured out.”
Santos’ decision was further vindicated in the second half as Ramos got his second of the night as he netted a cross from the right from close range after Pepe put Portugal 2-0 up.
Ramos then turned provider as he played a through ball to Raphael Guerreiro, whose emphatic finishing made it 4-0. Manuel Akanji scored a consolation goal for the Swiss a few moments later.
And Ramos completed his hat trick in the 67th minute with a nice dink on Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
“It’s a masterstroke from Fernando Santos… who needs Ronaldo tonight?” Jim Proudfoot of talkSPORT said in a comment.
Portugal boss Santos, who won Euro 2016 with Ronaldo at his side, has been a regular defender of the 37-year-old, who is also his captain.
That relationship appears to have been damaged following a group loss to South Korea when Ronaldo reacted after being substituted in the 65th minute.
Amateur readers suggested he was complaining about the coach’s decision, which Santos later responded to in a press conference.
“Did I see the footage when Ronaldo was substituted? Yes. Didn’t I like what I saw? No, I didn’t like it at all,” Santos said on Monday.
“These issues are resolved behind closed doors,” he said. ” It is resolved. Full stop on this issue and now it’s all attention on tomorrow’s game.
“Did I see the footage when Ronaldo was substituted? Yes. Didn’t I like what I saw? No, I didn’t like it at all,” Santos said on Monday.
“These issues are resolved behind closed doors,” he said. ” It is resolved. Full stop on this issue and now it’s all attention on tomorrow’s game.
Despite those words, it was still a surprise to see Ronaldo go down despite having just one goal after breaking Eusebio’s record nine for Portugal at the World Cups.
Enter Ramos from Benfica, who only recently entered the Portuguese team.
The 21-year-old had previously played just 34 minutes in his senior international career, twice as a substitute in the World Cup group stages as well as in friendlies.
He had never started a game until now, scoring after being named in the lineup for the first time.
Portugal extended their lead as veteran centre-back Pepe netted a corner from the right in the 33rd minute, the goal making Pepe the second oldest goalscorer in World Cup history.
Ramos got his second and Portgual’s third before playing a key role in their fourth and completing his hat-trick midway through the second half.
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