World Cup | Portugal crush Switzerland and will face Morocco

(Lusail) Without its star Cristiano Ronaldo, who entered only at the end of the match, Portugal in a state of grace qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Tuesday by sweeping Switzerland 6-1, with a hat-trick from the substitute for “CR7 », Goncalo Ramos.

The Seleçao, which had not reached the quarter-finals of a World since 2006, will meet Morocco on Saturday in the position of favorite. A little earlier on Tuesday, the “Atlas Lions” created a sensation by eliminating Spain on penalties (0-0, 3 tab to 0).

On the Portuguese side, the passing of the baton between generations could not have been more symbolic … or cruel for the fivefold Golden Ball Cristiano Ronaldo, who has never scored a single goal in a World Cup knockout match.

Almost unknown on the big stage of world football, Gonçalo Ramos had played in all and for all only 33 minutes in selection before this Tuesday evening, including twenty minutes in a friendly.

At 21, he entered the elite of World Cup hat-trick authors in a single evening, alongside giants like Pelé, Gerd Müller, or Just Fontaine. He even became the youngest author of a hat-trick in a knockout match since Pelé in 1958.

Was the decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench just a sporting choice? In any case, coach Fernando Santos had very badly accepted the gesture of humor of his star player when he was replaced in the 65^e minute against South Korea in the group stage (loss 2-1).

“I didn’t really like it at all,” he grumbled to the press.

Santos already had the opinion with him, a poll in Portugal having revealed that 70% of the fans did not want him to start against Switzerland.

Scorer at 39

Ronaldo, who most likely plays his last World Cup at 37, finally came into play at 74^e minute, finding his captain’s armband under the ovations of the public. But the score was already 5-1. And his goal at the 84^e minute was waived for an offside position.

The first goal of Gonçalo Ramos, from the 17^e minute, is a marvel of high-powered shooting from a difficult angle. Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer was well placed at his first post, but the speed of the ball caught him off guard (1-0).

And if, in the battle of the midfield, Switzerland had an illusion for a time, they gave in a second time on a set piece half an hour into the game. This time, it was the veteran Pepe who is offered a superb headed goal from a corner, three months before his fortieth birthday (February 26).

After the break, Gonçalo Ramos doubled his bet by taking a cross at the near post (3-0, 51^e), before the former Lorient Raphaël Guerreiro almost did it again on the next action after a well-conducted collective counterattack (4-0, 55^e).

After the anecdotal score reduction by Manuel Akanji (4-1, 58^e), Ramos completed his dream evening by beating Sommer closely after a slalom in the defense (5-1, 67^e). Rafael Leao nailed the coffin in added time (6-1, 90^e+2).