Portuguese striker Goncalo Ramos had played about ten minutes in the World Cup before being called up to the starting line-up for the quarter-final against Switzerland.
Ramos, 21, replaced himself in the starting lineup Cristiano Ronaldo – and pulled off a hat trick.
Ronaldo continued to score goals in the role of a substitute, but his head was probably boiling. It should be clear that Ramos will remain in the starting line-up in Ronaldo’s place in the quarter-final against Morocco after his performance.
Portugal’s head coach Fernando Santos the decision to leave Ronaldo was cold-blooded, and produced the desired result. Urheilu’s expert also praised it Erkka V. Lehtola in the studio after the match.
– Ronaldo has been leading that team for 15 years and is more than a football star. Everyone knows how he might react to such decisions. Massive performance from Santos. He made the decision knowing that if this goes wrong, the matter will fall on his neck, Lehtola said.
The last time Ronaldo was absent from Portugal’s starting line-up was 14 years ago. Even then, Portugal had already secured their place in the European Championship in the playoffs, so it was all about rest.
Even the scoreboard showed that Portugal played better in the quarterfinals without Ronaldo. Urheilu’s expert also saw it that way Jonne Kunnas.
– Participation in all phases of the game changed. If you think about Ronaldo, he practically doesn’t defend at all. With Ramos, Portugal have an easier starting point to work from when they create exploits.
Ronaldo traditionally has a strong desire to participate in attacking play. According to Kunnas, it has been problematic, because he often leaves, as it were, “his own areas”.
– He wants to touch the ball a lot, but it has not moved the game forward, but rather led to the players being in bad starting positions for the next phase of the game.
According to Kunnas, Ramos offered Portugal more of a threat deep into the opponent’s half of the field. Ronaldo’s strength is working in the opponent’s penalty area.
– Even in the form of the goals, we could see how different Ramos is able to bring to Portugal’s game. The other players were able to function in their own roles a little better when they don’t have to react to Ronaldo’s actions, says Kunnas.
Portugal head coach Santos put Ronaldo on the field at the end. Within the team, respect for the captain is still on the decline, at least judging by the hat-trick Ramos’ comments.
– He is a captain and a leader. We always look forward to playing with him,” Ramos said after the match, according to ESPN.
Goncalo Ramos by no means became Portugal’s hero from complete obscurity, but he is a fresh face in the national team. The young Benfica striker is having the best season of his career, as he has scored nine goals in 11 league matches. In the Champions League, Ramos also played big minutes when Benfica played the group stage without defeat.
In the semifinals, Portugal will face Morocco, who were unexpectedly eliminated by Spain. Spain couldn’t find a way to break Morocco’s defensive block, but according to Kunnas, Portugal has the keys to it.
– The difference with Spain is that Portugal is able to threaten the backline with better quality, in which case space can be created in different ways. Morocco is still a big challenge for Portugal, Kunnas states.
Portugal’s famous team, despite the defeat in Switzerland, has not convinced nearly in the same way as, for example, France or Brazil. On the other hand, in the European Championship golden year 2016, the team was close to falling from the continuation in the first group, but improved as the tournament progressed until the championship. Now the team is even stronger in terms of player material.
– The Switzerland game was a clear improvement from the previous one. I don’t think so until the championship, but when it comes to match plans, everything is open. The player list is incredibly tough, says Kunnas.
Morocco and Portugal will meet in the quarter-finals on Saturday at 17:00 Finnish time. The winner will face either France or England in the semi-finals.