Before the game, Cristiano Ronaldo was once again the center of attention. The Portuguese superstar was not in the starting XI this time and initially had to follow the action on the pitch from the bench. Team boss Fernando Santos had publicly criticized Ronaldo the day before for his behavior when he was substituted in the game against South Korea when he left the pitch cursing. The duel between Portugal and Switzerland was also the last round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar. After two days without games, the quarter-finals will continue on Friday.
The Portuguese took the lead with the first shot on goal. João Félix put through to Gonçalo Ramos, who started for Ronaldo. He brought the ball with full force to the short corner and gave Yann Sommer no chance in the Swiss goal with a shot under the bar. Switzerland had their first big chance in the 32nd minute. Embolo was fouled after a solo run. Shaqiri flicked the subsequent free kick just past the right pole.
In return, however, Portugal was able to increase to 2-0. Pepe climbed up from a corner and headed in to extend the Portuguese’s lead. On the other hand, Portugal goalkeeper Diego Costa failed to hold the ball decisively. But Freuler was no longer able to head the ball decisively on goal (39′). Just before half-time, Sommer was just able to parry a Gonçalo Ramos shot with his fingertips.
Fernando Santos’ team acted coldly in the second period as well. In the 51st minute, Diogo Dalot sent a sharp pass to the first post to Gonçalo Ramos, who scored twice in his first start. Matters became even clearer after 55 minutes. Raphaël Guerreiro started on the left and scored to make it 4-0. Three minutes later, Akanji corrected the result from Switzerland’s perspective with a shot from close range.
Anyone who now believed that the Confederates would rebel was disappointed nine minutes later. Ramos chipped the leather into the net for a triple pack after a remarkable combination over the summer that was ending (67th). Ronaldo came into play in the 74th minute, but he remained unnoticed except for an offside goal. Shortly before the end, Leao, who was also a substitute, scored the final score with a remarkable flick (92nd).
