Portugal secured a convincing ticket to the World Cup quarterfinals by crushing Switzerland 6-1 at Lusail Stadium. Coach Fernando Santos took a significant risk by leaving Cristiano Ronaldo out of the starting lineup after a disagreement in the previous game, yet the squad proved they could be even more prolific without their captain. This win paves the way for a clash with Morocco on Saturday. The star of the show was Goncalo Ramos, who dominated the Round of 16 match with a stunning hat-trick, while Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro, and Rafael Leao each added a goal to complete the rout.
Portugal stormed into the World Cup quarterfinals with an emphatic 6-1 win over Switzerland at Lusail Stadium. Portugal Head coach Fernando Santos made a brave call to drop his side’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo following a dispute in their last match. But Portugal proved to be stronger and scored freely without him. Portugal has set up a quarterfinal clash with Morocco on Saturday. Goncalo Ramos was the star of the game for Portugal, scoring the first hattrick of the 2022 World Cup in the Round of 16 encounter. Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro, and Rafael Leao scored one each to hammer Switzerland.
Taking over the role of the main striker from Cristiano Ronaldo, Ramos became the first debutant to score a hat-trick in a World Cup since 2002's Miroslav Klose. The 21-year-old also mirrored the feat of the great Pele, becoming the youngest man to score three goals in a knockout fixture since 1958. Additionally, Ramos broke a long drought, becoming the first player to hit a hat-trick in a World Cup elimination match since 1990.
Ramos' first goal in his debut international start was a moment of pure instinct; he took a sharp touch on the right side of the box and, despite the narrow angle, fired a powerful shot past Yann Sommer into the top corner. Meanwhile, 39-year-old Pepe made history as the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout game, doubling the lead with a commanding header.
Shortly after the second half began, Ramos found the net again, reacting quickly to a low cross from Diogo Dalot and cleverly poking the ball between the goalkeeper's legs.
The lead grew to four in the 55th minute thanks to a stinging shot from Guerreiro. Switzerland managed a consolation goal three minutes later when Manuel Akanji found space at the back post to score. Not long after, Ramos completed his hat-trick with a sophisticated chip that sailed over the charging Yann Sommer.
The scoring ended in stoppage time with a magnificent strike from substitute Rafael Leao, bringing the final tally to 6-1. This marks Portugal's first knockout stage win since the 2006 tournament in Germany, following a string of early exits in 2010, 2014, and 2018. Now, the football world wonders if Santos will keep the momentum with Ramos or bring back the all-time leading international goalscorer, Ronaldo.
In other news, Morocco made history as the first Arab nation to reach a World Cup quarterfinal, knocking out Spain after a 3-0 victory in a penalty shootout.