Portugal rout Switzerland | Tuesday’s decisive 6-1 victory over Switzerland by Portugal saw them advance to the World Cup quarterfinals in lieu of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was replaced by Goncalo Ramos.
After an argument in their most recent game, head coach Fernando Santos bravely decided to bench Ronaldo, but Portugal showed to be free-scoring without him, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with Morocco on Saturday.
Ramos, a veteran defender, scored the game’s first goal at the Lusail stadium at the age of 21, making his first start for his country. Pepe, a 39-year-old, then set a World Cup knockout record by scoring with a powerful header.
For his second goal, Ramos connected with a low cross from defender Diogo Dalot and tucked it in between Sommer’s legs to open the second half. After a well-executed team play, Raphael Guerreiro added a fourth goal with a strong shot.
On 58 minutes
On 58 minutes, Manuel Akanji found space at the back post from a corner and easily nodded in to give Switzerland a lead again. However, the goal did not inspire a comeback, as Ramos added a third goal with a skillful chip over Sommer to become the youngest male player to score a hat trick in a World Cup knockout game since Brazilian legend Pele in 1958.
After Ronaldo came off the bench and had a goal disallowed for offside after 72 minutes, Portugal still had time to score their final goal through Rafael Leao, who came on as a substitute.
“CR7 converses with me and the rest of the squad. Our leader, who consistently tries to assist, “Ramos said following the game. “I have to work as hard as I can and then we’ll see,” the player said when asked if he knew if he would start the following game.
Portugal had lost in the group stage (Brazil 2014) and the round of 16 (South Africa 2010 and Russia 2018) since the 2006 World Cup in Germany. This was their first knockout triumph since then.
After a slow start, the game picked up steam when Ramos gave the Portuguese the lead in the 17th minute by receiving a sharp pass from Joao Felix and firing the ball from a tight angle into the top corner.
In the 33rd minute, with Sommer once again well beaten, they doubled their lead thanks to Pepe, their captain, who timed his leap to perfection to rise above the two Swiss center backs and head home from a Bruno Fernandes corner.
Despite the occasional darting run into the final third, the Portugal rout Switzerland striker Breel Embolo, and their best opportunity of the half came when Xherdan Shaqiri’s free kick was deflected for a corner.
Portugal rout Switzerland
The Portuguese led 2-0 at halftime, and Sommer, who had been ill, did well to stop Ramos from scoring his second goal of the half with a fingertip save on a counterattack.
Six minutes after the restart, Dalot sent in a cross, and Ramos was once again in the right spot at the near post to divert the ball between Sommer’s legs and give Portugal a three-goal lead. However, the beaten goalie was powerless to stop it.
According to Sommer, “We did not exhibit the mindset that we often bring onto the pitch.” “It’s a pretty unpleasant evening. We gave our adversary way too much room. I also didn’t look too good in a few situations. The best strategy for surviving against such opponents is not this.”
