FIFA World Cup: Goncalo Ramos nets hat-trick as Portugal thump Switzerland
Goncalo Ramos, a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, scored a hat-trick on his first appearance for Portugal to help Fernando Santos' side beat Switzerland 6-1 on their way to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Goncalo Ramos was Portugal's hero on the day.The 37-year-old, who recently left Manchester United under a cloud, cast a shadow over his team at times in Qatar, where his manager spoke unhappily about his reaction to being substituted against South Korea.
Santos decided to bench Ronaldo for the Round of 16 match against Switzerland. The Portuguese talisman was eventually substituted on to huge cheers when his team had already won the game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ronaldo benched for Portugal.<br><br>Does this mean we have to go through another Piers interview?</p>— Andy (@LetsTalk_FPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/LetsTalk_FPL/status/1600178135802077186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The veteran was the focus of all the cameras before kickoff, but the 21-year-old who played in his place was named man of the match and did the honours for Santos in the 6-1 win that set up the quarter-finals against Morocco.
Ramos scored on his debut with a spectacular left-footed shot in the 17th minute, which Pepe completed with a powerful header. The 39-year-old thus became the oldest goalscorer in the history of the knockout World Cup.
Portugal continued to set the tone after the half-time break. Ramos scored from close range before feeding Raphael Guerreiro, who extended the lead to four goals.
The Benfica striker was disappointed to see Manuel Akanji return from a Swiss corner, but he became the first Qatar player to score a hat-trick when he coolly headed past Yann Sommer.
The crowd chanted Ronaldo's name and got their wish when he was substituted. The star had a goal disallowed for offside before Rafael Leao scored a goal.
Ramos grinned after the final whistle when he was awarded the match ball for his treble, which started with a bang.
Swiss goalkeeper Sommer looked over his shoulder in disbelief as the ball whizzed past him in the 17th minute after Ramos touched a pass from Joao Felix with his left foot and banged in unstoppable at the near post.
It was a brilliant goal that encouraged Portugal, who had a couple of half-chances and survived an Xherdan Shaqiri free-kick before extending their lead in the 33rd minute.
Bruno Fernandes chipped a corner kick into the penalty area, and Pepe headed it into the net from six yards. Ronaldo and his fellow substitutes rushed from the bench to join their teammates in an exuberant celebration.
Diogo Dalot cleared a Remo Freuler header after Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa had cleared a cross. Still, it was a rare chance for Switzerland, who had Sommer to thank for cleverly taking Ramos out of the game before the break.
Murat Yakin's side recovered somewhat after the half-time break and was out of the game within 10 minutes of the restart.
Dalot moved past Ruben Vargas and hit a low cross that Ramos headed into the net from close range in the 51st minute.
Just four minutes later, the goalscorer himself was the scorer as he slipped through the overlapping Guerreiro and beat Sommer to send Portugal to dreamland.
There was a damper in the 58th minute when Ramos tried to clear a corner kick, but Akanji cleared it at the far post, but that was a Swiss consolation.
Portugal restored its four-goal advantage in the 67th minute through a now-familiar source. Felix put Ramos in behind, and the 21-year-old got the better of the onrushing Sommer to complete his hat-trick.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠... 😅 <a href="https://t.co/jBAe86s1Je">pic.twitter.com/jBAe86s1Je</a></p>— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1600232637037248513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It was an impressive performance from Ramos and Portugal, whose coach substituted his star Ronaldo in the 74th minute, to the crowd's delight.
His substitution was greeted with great cheers, as was his goal, which came in the 84th minute. Ronaldo, however, looked directly at the linesman and saw that the flag was raised for offside.
Breel Embolo had earlier scored with a daring overhead kick, but Switzerland was waiting for the final whistle.
That may be why substitute Leao had the space and time to score a brilliant sixth goal in stoppage time.