Hat-trick hero Goncalo Ramos said that he did not expect to make Portugal's starting line-up for their World Cup last-16 win over Switzerland “even in my wildest dreams” while coach Fernando Santos said Cristiano Ronaldo’s role for the remainder of the tournament is something that has to be “defined” after dropping his captain.
Ramos, 21, announced himself on the world stage on Tuesday with a stunning treble on his full international debut as Portugal routed Switzerland 6-1 to book a quarter-final showdown with Morocco.
The Benfica striker made headlines before kick off when the teams were announced, when he was picked by Santos to lead the attack in place of Ronaldo, who was relegated to the bench.
It did not take long for the youngster to become one of the biggest stories so far at the Qatar World Cup.
“Not even in my wildest dreams I thought about being in the starting 11 for the knockout phase,” Ramos said.
Asked if Ronaldo spoke to him before the game, Ramos said the issue of him being benched did not come up among the players.
“Honestly, in our team, no one talked about it. Cristiano as our captain, as he always did, he helped us, he gave encouragement to us, not only to myself, but our teammates.”
Ramos' treble made him the first player to score a hat-trick in his first World Cup start since Miroslav Klose against Saudi Arabia in 2002.
Ronaldo’s name was chanted around Lusail Stadium before he was introduced in the closing stages, having been left out of a starting line-up at a major tournament for the first time since Euro 2008.
Ronaldo has been under the spotlight even more than usual at these finals after an explosive television interview days before the tournament led to him having his contract at Manchester United terminated by mutual consent after he criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
When asked about his role in the team for the remainder of the World Cup, Santos replied: “That is still something that has to be defined.
“I have a very close relationship with him — I always have, I have known him since he was 19 years old.
“This relationship only develops, Ronaldo and I never interpret the human aspect of that of manager and player [in relation to] what we have to do during the match. I will always consider in my role that he is an important player to have in the team.”
When asked directly if Ronaldo would play against Morocco, Santos replied bullishly: “Ronaldo will definitely [be involved], all the players on the bench can be used, if they are not in the starting line-up they can play later.
“It is important to look at the example of this player’s history, he is one of the best players in the world at playing professionally, being captain — all we have to do is think about this team collectively.”
Player ratings
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PORTUGAL RATINGS: Diogo Costa - 6. Got a touch on Xherdan Shaqiri’s free-kick to make sure it didn’t go in, then saved Remo Freuler’s header after unconvincingly stopping Edimilson Fernandes’ cross. Had no chance of stopping the Swiss goal, while his long ball forward started the move for Portugal’s fifth. AP -
Diogo Dalot - 9. Was authoritative in his defending throughout the game to ensure Ruben Vargas didn’t get any joy. Cleared the ball off the line after Costa saved Freuler’s header, and then beat Vargas to deliver the cross for Goncalo Ramos’ second. Noah Okafor didn’t fare much better against him. EPA -
Pepe - 9. Showed complete dominance to score his goal and that translated to the rest of the defender’s play. He made some brilliant passes and often defended on the front foot to quickly nullify Swiss attacks. AP -
Ruben Dias - 7. Got away with a poor touch on the edge of his own box but gave Breel Embolo a real battle. Won a header in the opposition box but couldn’t get enough on it to work Yann Sommer. Getty -
Raphael Guerreiro - 8. Came up with a couple of wonderful touches and passes, although the left-back fired a shot harmlessly off target. Did much better when he got into the box in the second half, giving Sommer no chance. AP -
Bernardo Silva - 8. Broke into the box but couldn’t find the final pass, although he continued to put himself in great positions and show quality throughout. Made a good run forward in the build-up to Ramos’ hat-trick goal. Getty -
William Carvalho - 7. Was a calm presence in the middle of the pitch, winning the ball back when required and moving it brilliantly. Some of his passes in the first half were particularly eye-catching, including one he clipped for Guerreiro to run on to. Played some sloppy passes in the second half and was eased off the ball by Embolo. EPA -
Otavio - 8. Did a great job to move the ball from a deep midfield position, although he shot straight at Yann Sommer when a half-chance came. Provided a lovely backheel in the build-up to Portugal’s fourth. AP -
Bruno Fernandes - 9. Played with freedom, playing a whole host of brilliant passes including the corner delivery for Pepe’s goal and a through ball for Goncalo Ramos. Came within inches of reaching Guerreiro’s cross. Reuters -
Goncalo Ramos - 10. Blasted Portugal into the lead with a brilliant finish in his first tournament start, then added a second goal after half time. Set up Guerreiro for Portugal’s fourth, although his attempt at a defensive header also set up Manuel Akanji before he scored with a beautifully dinked effort for his hat-trick. EPA -
Joao Felix - 9. Took up brilliant positions and showed the quality to exploit them, notably slipping the ball through for Ramos’ opener. There were more superb moments in his fearless performance including a run through the middle that helped lead to Portugal’s fourth. He then slid the ball to Ramos again for the striker’s hat-trick goal. AP -
SUBS: Cristiano Ronaldo (Ramos, 73’) – N/R. Fired a free-kick attempt into the wall before hitting the back of the net for a goal that was pulled back for offside. PA -
Ricardo Horta (Felix, 74’) – N/R. Got some nice touches in as Portugal put on a show. AFP -
Vitinha (Otavio, 74’) – N/R. Moved the ball nicely, although one stray pass started a decent Swiss move. His corner delivery was an inviting one. AP -
Ruben Neves (Silva, 81’) – N/R. Moved the ball well and cut out a potentially threatening ball through. AP -
Rafael Leao (Fernandes, 87’) – N/R. Played a poor cross with Ronaldo waiting in the box but showed his quality by cutting inside Granit Xhaka and curling a wonderful effort past Sommer. Getty -
SWITZERLAND RATINGS: Yann Sommer - 4. Had a horrible night conceding six, although there wasn’t too much he could do about most of the goals. Made a great save to deny Ramos one goal. AP -
Edimilson Fernandes - 3. He was very weak defensively, especially in the first half, giving Felix too much space in the build-up to the first goal and doing nothing to stop Pepe for the second. Delivered some promising crosses. AP -
Manuel Akanji - 5. Was beaten far too easily in the air by Pepe for the second and was helpless as the Swiss defence descended into calamity. Scored a consolation goal after sneaking in at the back post. Getty -
Fabian Schar - 3. Stood off Ramos for the opener and was very weak in his defending for the second. A poor overall performance also saw him get booked for a late challenge on Felix before being taken off at half time. Getty -
Ricardo Rodriguez - 4. Showed great anticipation to clear Silva’s pass but that largely deserted Rodriguez and his fellow defenders for the rest of the game. Put in a couple of decent crosses. AFP -
Remo Freuler - 4. Saw his header saved and struggled to keep up, hitting Pepe with some late challenges in an underwhelming performance. AP -
Granit Xhaka - 4. Did absolutely nothing to put Felix under pressure for the opener and seemed to be going through the motions at times. Headed comfortably off target from a promising position and got away with a mix-up with Denis Zakaria. Getty -
Xherdan Shaqiri - 5. Was toothless in a challenge with Dias on the edge of Portugal’s box and hit a shocking effort that went high and wide, summarising Switzerland’s game. Showed quality with his set-pieces, forcing Costa into an uncomfortable save and delivering the corner that resulted in Akanji’s goal. Reuters -
Djibril Sow - 4. Had some nice moments, including a flick for Fernandes’ cross, but was still very quiet. AFP -
Ruben Vargas - 4. Was easily beaten by Dalot for Portugal’s third having largely been bullied by the defender at the other end of the pitch. Getty -
Breel Embolo - 6. One of the very few Swiss players who could leave this match with their head held high, having given Dias a real battle for large periods. Came close with an acrobatic effort. AP -
SUBS: Eray Comert (Schar, HT) - 5. Was very inconsistent as he had some poor moments, although he also stopped a dangerous ball through to Ronaldo and made a great burst forward. Booked for catching Fernandes with an outstretched arm. Getty -
Haris Seferovic (Freuler, 54’) - 4. Had a very minimal impact on the game with Portugal dominating at the other end. Reuters -
Denis Zakaria (Sow, 55’) - 5. Was held off the ball by Carvalho after making a good run, while he saw a shot blocked. Getty -
Noah Okafor (Vargas, 66’) - 5. Lost the ball in the middle of the pitch then found himself chasing shadows. Had some mildly bright moments but his shot attempt was quashed by Fernandes. AP -
Ardon Jashari (Embolo, 89’) – N/R. Got on for a World Cup game but there was no chance of him having a notable impact as the game had long gone. Getty
