Fernando Santos is a weather-beaten veteran whose mood appears to vary only between grumpy and grumpier.
The 68-year-old manager of Portugal has no time for the hoop-la that surrounds Cristiano Ronaldo or for the fading player’s hissy-fits. But those who suggested Santos dropped him from the Portuguese starting line-up because Ronaldo threw a strop when he was substituted from the South Korea game were talking pre-game nonsense.
Santos put the 37-year-old on the bench because he wanted a more vibrant, youthful, dynamic attack against the well-organised Swiss. And no manager at this World Cup - or that many before it, to be fair - has made a more inspired call.
No manager at this World Cup - or many to follow it, to be fair - will make a more inspired call.
Santos gave Goncalo Ramos, more than 16 years Ronaldo’s junior, his FIRST start in a Portuguese senior jersey and the 21-year-old announced himself with a three-goal, thunder-crack of a performance that you could only say was reminiscent of, well, you-know-who in his absolute pomp.
There was the violently beautiful left-footed finish for his and Portugal’s first, the poacher’s near-post strike for his second and Portugal’s third, and then the right-footed delicacy dinked over Yann Sommer for his hat-trick and Portugal’s fifth. It was an extraordinary contribution from a young man who had only previously made three substitute appearances for his country.
And it was not just his variety and deadliness in the penalty area that justified Ramos’s inclusion at the expense of Ronaldo, it was the way the Benfica prospect led the line and worked in unison with Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes to run the Swiss ragged. And, of course, there was the work-rate that only comes from a rookie with the energy of youth.
There was, as it happened, room for an oldie in the Portuguese ranks, Pepe doubling Portugal’s inside the first half when he met a Fernandes corner with a textbook header to become the second oldest player - behind Roger Milla, who had just turned 42 when he scored against Russia in 1994 - to score at a World Cup tournament. Pepe turns 40 in February.
His intervention was a blow from which the Swiss could not recover and the second half was a Portuguese cruise and after Ramos’s second and before Ramos’s third, Raphael Guerreiro registered a rasping left-footer to underline Portugal’s clinical, overwhelming superiority.
Somewhere in the second half proceedings (to make the score 4-1 if you are a stickler for detail), there was a Manuel Akanji consolation but it was the scantest of consolations.
And maybe even grumpy Fernando Santos - who watched one of his subs, Rafael Leao, curl in a wonderful sixth - privately afforded himself a wry smile when he sent on Ronaldo and two other subs and Ramos was amongst those to come off.
One of the greatest-ever players going on after one of the greatest-ever World Cup debuts. It was some night for Santos ... it was some, some, some night for Goncalo Ramos.
