Portugal have advanced to the quarter finals of the World Cup for the first time since 2006, defeating Switzerland 6-1 in their Round of 16 clash.
Fernando Santos dropped Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench for the game, after his reaction to being subbed off against South Korea. And in his place, 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos took to the pitch to lead the line.
Portugal thrash Switzerland 6-1 to reach quarter finals
Ramos opened the scoring with a ferocious strike from a very tight angle. The forward’s shot took Yann Sommer by surprise, as it found its way into the roof of the net for the opener.
And shortly after, Pepe would double their lead from a corner. The centre-back was left unmarked, and charged in to meet the delivery. He buried the ball into the back of the net with a thumping header to become the second oldest goalscorer at a World Cup.
The second half saw Portugal come out without any remorse, as Ramos scored a second only six minutes into the latter period. Raphael Guerreiro smashed the ball into the roof of the net at the 55-minute mark to make it 4.
Manuel Akanji was able to tap the ball in from point-blank range following a corner, getting a consolation for the team. But, there was more to come from the game.
Ramos chipped the ball over the keeper calmly, ten minutes later, to become the first player to score a hat-trick at the 2022 World Cup. It is worth remembering that this was his first ever start for Portugal, and he has been mighty impressive with his opportunity.
Rafael Leao scored an absolute peach from the left side two minutes into additional time to make it 6. The AC Milan forward was subbed on, and scored his second at the World Cup from the bench.
