World Cup | Portugal-Switzerland: A hat-trick for Gonçalo Ramos and Portugal crushes Switzerland to slip into the quarters

CR7 benched by his coach, the Seleccao still inflicted a hell of a correction on Switzerland in the round of 16 (6-1). Fernando Santos even made the right choice, since it was Gonçalo Ramos, preferred to the fivefold Golden Ball, who flew over the meeting with a hat-trick. The Lusitanians were thus able to rotate and manage their forces as well as possible, before their first quarter-final of the World Cup since 2006, against Morocco.

A ride and, above all, a shower of records. Portugal were surely expecting a tougher opposition, but they finally took the opportunity to erase the history books and have fun against an unexpectedly weak Switzerland. The fallers of the France team at the same stage of the last Euro were mistreated by the 2016 European champions, thanks in particular to the XXL performance of the Benfica striker, for whom it was the 4th selection and the first tenure in World Cup.

A Portugal of all records

It was Gonçalo Ramos, with a wonderful strike from the left, who found an almost impossible area in the skylight, on the left in the box to open the way for his team (1-0, 17′). Despite a good start, Switzerland, only dangerous on a distant free kick from former Lyonnais Xherdan Shaqiri (30th) or a low cross from Emilson Fernandes (38th), did not exist. On a corner, Pepe, dropped by the Swiss defense, became the oldest scorer in the final phase of the World Cup with a devastating whim (2-0, 33rd).

A passer on the Porto defender’s goal and now directly involved in 5 goals in Qatar (2 goals, 3 assists), Bruno Fernandes has become the most decisive player for Portugal in a World Cup since Eusebio and Jose Torres in 1966. He then saw Ramos score his second goal of the evening, still from the left, just after returning from the locker room (3-0, 51st). Insatiable, the partners of a very prominent Joao Felix scored again, on a counter, by Raphael Guerreiro (4-0, 55th).

Switzerland only had a start, on a corner, where Manuel Akanji saved the honor, before plunging back (4-1, 58th). Authors of many high-class collective movements, the Portuguese saw their number 26 achieve triple a magnificent dive (5-1, 67th). In doing so, Ramos became the first player to score a hat-trick for his first start at a World Cup since the record holder of goals (16) in this competition, Miroslav Klose.

The public was then able to go into raptures when the game came on (73rd), then on the few occasions badly managed by Ronaldo (76th, 83rd, 84th, 87th). But it was the former Lille player Rafael Leao who closed the scoring with a magnificent right foot roll (6-1, 90th + 2). The opposition against a very strong Morocco defensively, but which should present itself weakened, looks promising.