CRISTIANO RONALDO will start in the bench of substitutes of Portugalwhich from 4 p.m. will face Switzerland for the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
The captain and maximum figure of the Portuguese team appears surprisingly among the alternatives of the coach Fernando Santos for the match that will be played at the Lusail stadium.
Ronaldo, who parted ways with Manchester United in the middle of the World Cup, will be replaced by Goncalo Ramos21-year-old striker who plays for Benfica.
Portugal will form with Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias and Raphael Guerreiro; Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho and Otavio; Bruno Fernandes, Goncalo Ramos and Joao Felix.
The departure of CR7 could be read as a punishment by the coach who, in the press conference prior to the game, had expressed his dissatisfaction with the gesture made by the 37-year-old footballer when he was replaced against South Korea.
“The truth is that in the field I did not have the opportunity to hear anything he said. But later I saw the images on television and I did not like them at all”Santos had said and added: “These issues are resolved at home and it’s time to think about tomorrow’s game, on which we are all focused.”
This is how Portugal arrived at the Lusail stadium
COVER PHOTO: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP
