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Croatia’s midfielder Luka Modric celebrates after winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup round of 16 football match between Japan and Croatia at the Al-Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah, south of Doha on December 5, 2022. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
DOHA : Croatia's World Cup quarter-final opponents ooze quality and could field two starting 11s in the tournament but despite the respect they feel, the Balkan nation can play even better than they have so far, defender Dejan Lovren and midfielder Mateo Kovacic said.
DOHA: Cristiano Ronaldo first found himself unloved and unwanted by Manchester United. Now the unthinkable has happened — he has been dumped by Portugal. The superstar forward was largely a spectator as the side he has captained for so long threw off the shackles and romped to a 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the World Cup last-16 on Tuesday. Young striker Goncalo Ramos, brought in for Ronaldo, scored a stunning hat-trick and at least competed with his illustrious teammate for the headlines. Ronaldo came to the World Cup seeking respite after his troubled spell at Old Trafford this season, where he had become a peripheral figure under new manager Erik ten Hag. Those frustrations boiled over last month in an explosive TV interview in which he lashed out at the club and the coach, leading to an inevitable parting of the ways. The 37-year-old landed in Qatar to the usual fanfare, once again the focus of fawning attention from the world’s media. Things even went to script in Portugal’s first game, when he scored the opener from the penalty spot in a 3-2 win against Ghana, becoming the first man to score goals at five World Cups. But things went downhill from there. He huffed and puffed through games against Uruguay and South Korea but failed to find the net and Portugal were less than the sum of their considerable parts. Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who masterminded the side’s triumph at Euro 2016, finally took the decision to leave his star man out against the Swiss and was vindicated in spectacular fashion. Portugal turned on the style, with Benfica’s Ramos, 21, netting three times in a free-flowing attacking performance.
DOHA : Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic described their World Cup quarter-final opponents Brazil as "terrifying" after the five-times champions thrashed South Korea 4-1 to send a clear message to their rivals.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos said his decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of his starting team for Tuesday's 6-1 triumph over Switzerland in the World Cup last 16 had been "strategic and nothing more."
Chris Jones is in Qatar covering the men's World Cup for CBC Sports.
Portugal dismantled Switzerland 6-1 to charge into the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday as Goncalo Ramos started in place of Cristiano Ronaldo and scored the first hat-trick of the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement Goncalo Ramos marked his first Portugal start with a stunning hat-trick as Fernando Santos’ side hit Switzerland for six on their way to the World Cup quarter-finals.