Portugal will aim to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup for just the third time in their history when they lock horns with Morocco at the Al Thumama Stadium in Saturday's quarter-final clash.
While Morocco stunned Spain on penalties to reach the last eight, A Selecao navigated their way past Switzerland in emphatic fashion courtesy of an impressive 6-1 victory on Tuesday.
The major talking point prior to Portugal's clash with the Swiss was the news of Cristiano Ronaldo being dropped to the substitutes' bench, with the 37-year-old failing to start at a major tournament for the first time since Euro 2008.
Head coach Fernando Santos was critical of Ronaldo's reaction to being substituted in the 2-1 group-stage defeat against South Korea, while many Portugal fans – 70% according to a recent poll carried out by Portuguese news outlet A Bola – called for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to be dropped against Switzerland.
Ronaldo eventually came on in the 73rd minute, but Portugal managed to lay down a significant marker ahead of Saturday's quarter-final without the presence of their iconic No.7 in the starting lineup.
Indeed, Ronaldo's replacement was the star of the show on Tuesday as Benfica's 21-year-old striker Goncalo Ramos scored a stunning hat-trick on his first international start.
© Reuters
Ramos opened the scoring with a powerful strike from a tight angle, before two second-half goals – the first an instinctive first-time finish at the near post and then a composed chip over Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer – completed a memorable hat-trick with more than 20 minutes of the match remaining.
Despite having only four international caps to his name – compared with the 195 that Ronaldo boasts – Ramos has shown why a number of clubs across Europe are interested in his services, and he will feel his most recent display should be rewarded with another start as Portugal's central striker on Saturday.
Portugal also demonstrated last time out that they have a number of different players who can offer a goal threat, with 39-year-old Pepe, left-back Raphael Guerreiro and substitute Rafael Leao also on the scoresheet against Switzerland.
Indeed, a total of eight different Portuguese players have scored at this year's tournament in Qatar, proving that they are not solely reliant on one man in front of goal.
Santos insists that Ronaldo – who is Portugal's all-time leading scorer with 118 strikes – remains "an important player" for the national team in Qatar and has revealed that the legendary forward will "definitely" feature against Morocco.
However, the 68-year-old boss has no reason to change his first XI after such an impressive performance against the Swiss, and another place on the bench – a familiar position during his Manchester United days under Erik ten Hag – could be on the cards for Ronaldo on Saturday.
The same can be said for Manchester City's Joao Cancelo, who was another surprisingly left out against Switzerland, but Diogo Dalot and Guerreiro seem to be Santos's preferred full-back options at present.
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Oliver Thomas
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