Previously during the Portugal’s Round of 16 match against Switzerland, Ronaldo was benched, but was called in as a substitute in the 72nd minute of the match.
Citing the reason for putting Ronaldo in the bench, Fernando Santos -- Portuguese team manager -- cited the player's altercation with Lee Sung-Jae of South Korea as soon as he was asked to come out. Santos had since expressed his unhappiness with the event.
When asked, the Portuguese coach said, as Goal.com quoted, "They are different players. It was a game strategy. All the players are different. I also launched Dalot, Raphael, however Cancelo is also a fabulous player. It was what I thought that we would need for this match against Switzerland."
However, to make things clear, Santos had said that Ronaldo could be dropped again depending on the “game strategy", but added there was no issue with Ronaldo.
Both Santos and Ronaldo share a very goof bonding and have a long history of friendship. According to Santos, CR7 has shown what a great captain should be like.
Until the last time of the story was filed, Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo were called in for Rubben Neves and Raphael Guerreiro. Morocco's En Nesyri hit a goal with a header at the 42nd minute, while Portugal failed to score.
