Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in a heated spat during Portugal’s 2-1 defeat to South Korea.
Ronaldo was substituted in the 65th minute of the game and was told to leave the pitch quickly by Korea’s Cho Gue Sung. The pair clashed as Ronaldo left the pitch, but the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward played down the incident afterwards.
“Before my substitution, one of their players was telling me to leave quickly,” said Ronaldo. “I told him to shut up, he has no authority, he doesn't have to say anything.
“I would speed up the pace if the referee said so. He doesn't have to. There's no controversy, it happened in the heat of the game.
"We're in the next stage. We have to be, not only players, but all Portuguese people, because we want to go through and that's what we're going to try to do."
It wasn't just Korea's Cho Gue Sung who felt Ronaldo's wrath during the clash. After his withdrawal, the veteran striker was reported by Portuguese publication A Bola to have shouted towards his own bench: "You're in such a hurry to take me off."
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The comments were reportedly picked up by cameras and Portugal boss Fernando Santos was forced to explain what had actually happened when speaking to reporters post-match.
"Ronaldo came off the pitch angry, yes, but with the Korean player who was insulting him and sending him away from the pitch," Santos said. "He replied to him and that is perfectly normal.
“I heard what the Korean player said, in English, and I have no doubt about it and Ronaldo replied ‘you must be in a big hurry for me to leave’. Pepe even went after the Korean player because of that.”
It was a disappointing game for Ronaldo overall as Portugal threw away their lead to slip to a late defeat. Ricardo Horta had put Portugal in front after just five minutes when he scored from Diogo Dalot's cut-back.
But Korea managed to draw level when a corner struck an unexpecting Ronaldo who had turned his back to the cross, only for it to bounce off him into the path of Kim Young-gwon who duly scored the equaliser.
The game was evenly matched from there but Korea looked to be on their way out of the tournament until they scored a breakaway goal from a corner at the death. Son Heung-min raced downfield drawing several Portugal players towards the ball before releasing Hwang Hee-chan who converted past Diogo Costa in injury-time to send Korea through.
Hee-chan's late strike meant Uruguay were then trailing Korea on goal difference in the group as their 2-0 win over Ghana was only enough to see them finish third and crash out. Luis Suarez was in tears on the Uruguay bench as the final whistle was blown while his team-mates surrounded referee Daniel Siebert in protest at his decision not to award a late penalty for a foul on Edinson Cavani.
Portugal will now meet Switzerland in the last 16 while Korea have the unenvious task of taking on Brazil.
