Goncalo Ramos, who scored three goals on Friday, was kept in the starting lineup by Portugal instead of captain Cristiano Ronaldo for Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco.
But Ronaldo was subbed in as the game resumed in the second half at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha. With that, Ronaldo equalled the men’s record for most international caps (196) with Kuwait forward Badr Al-Mutawa. Fernando Santos’ decision set fans and critics on social media abuzz.
Also read: Advantage for Portugal? Fans ask as teary-eyed Morocco centre-back Romain Saïss gets injured out
“ronaldo isnt al portugal nor all portuguese team no need to sht on everyone not even us like him,” one user tweeted.
“As it stands, in 30mins, we’d never see Ronaldo play in the World Cup again,” another user joked.
“Has Ronaldo made a single pass yet?” one user questioned.
Another tweet noted, “Just keep counting by yourself how many times Ronaldo will lose his ball control easily inside or outside the penalty box.”
One user bluntly stated, “Ronaldo is a liability.”
“Ronaldo to play some sort of hero role,” one fan wrote.
Another suggested, “Ronaldo needs to switch position with Ramos.”
“Please ronaldo ur country needs you,” read one tweet.
Ronaldo, who has 118 goals in 195 games for Portugal, was not used in Tuesday’s 6-1 victory against Switzerland in the round of 16, when Ramos, a 21-year-old, scored three goals in just his fourth game.
Also read: 2022 FIFA World Cup Argentina vs Croatia semifinal: 5 things to watch out for
Ronaldo, 37, was furious that Fernando Santos left him out of the lineup before the game, and Portugal’s football federation was forced to refute rumours that their captain had threatened to withdraw from the competition.
With that dominant victory, Santos just made one change on Saturday, replacing William Carvalho with Ruben Neves. Meanwhile, Walid Regragui of Morocco had to change up his defence after Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui were forced to withdraw due to injury.