Cristiano Ronaldo cut an emotional figure as thousands of fans applauded the five-time Ballon d'Or winner before he was introduced in Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old was dropped by manager Fernando Santos for Portugal's clash against the Swiss after he reacted angrily to being taken off in their group-stage defeat by South Korea. Ronaldo has struggled for form throughout the tournament and couldn't hide his frustration after he was replaced by Goncalo Ramos last Friday.
Subsequently, Santos decided to make a chance to the starting XI for the last-16 tie, with Ramos coming into the side in Ronaldo's place. It was a decision that paid dividends, with the Benfica forward scoring the first hat-trick at this World Cup as Portugal eased in the quarter-finals and booked a meeting with Morocco, who beat Spain earlier on Tuesday.
Despite being dropped for the game, Ronaldo managed to get some game time and came on in the 73rd minute, with Portugal already 5-1 up. Given the striker's reputation and impact on Portugal as a nation, he received a warm welcome before coming on, with many supporters rising to their feet and applauding the player.
There was a huge roar as his name was read out by the stadium announcer, while pictures of Ronaldo were shown on the big screen and welcomed by those in the stadium. Ronaldo appeared to get emotional by the sheer scale of the response from the fans, with the former Real Madrid man almost tearing up as he put his hand on his head in response to his reception.
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When he was introduced onto the pitch, Ronaldo almost added his name to the scoresheet but he was judged to be offside as he stuck the ball into the back of the net after going through one-on-one. He had a decent impact on the game as Portugal added a sixth goal through Rafael Leao, who continues to impress at the tournament.
Pepe and Raphael Guerreiro had also struck for Portugal on an astonishing night at Lusail Stadium. It is Ramos who will take the headlines for Portugal, however, and he had high praise for Ronaldo after the game despite replacing him in the side.
The Newcastle target said of Ronaldo: "He's the captain, he's the leader and we always look forward to playing side by side with him."
Santos, meanwhile, insisted there is no issue between him and his captain. He added: "Cristiano and Ramos are different players. There is no problem with the captain of the national team. We've been friends for many years. He set the example of a captain."
