Goncalo Ramos announced himself as Portugal’s new talisman
(Picture: REUTERS)Goncalo Ramos rose in flames from Cristiano Ronaldo’s ashes as a reborn Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 to set up a World Cup quarter-final against Morocco.
As narratives go, this was almost too perfect and felt like a case of lazy scriptwriting because it was so remarkable and yet so obvious.
Still, the fact remains that Portugal boss Fernando Santos dropped Ronaldo and his replacement in the side, Ramos, scored a brilliant hat-trick and set up another in his side’s best display in years.
The 21-year-old Benfica forward took his chance spectacularly, opening the scoring with a thunderous near-post drive, nutmegging Yann Sommer for his second and rounding off a treble on his first international start with a cool dinked over the onrushing goalkeeper.
Ramos only made his debut for Portugal on November 17 and three of his four caps have come here in Qatar.
As the top scorer in Portugal, he is no wildcard, though, and has already proved capable of filling big shoes by replacing Darwin Nunez’s goals after the Uruguayan’s summer move to Liverpool.
There was a certain irony that all three of his finishes were the kind Ronaldo would have scored when full of the healthy arrogance of his pomp, but the Portugal captain could only watch on from the bench before replacing his country’s new talisman -- his status in the side surely irreversibly diminished -- for the final 20 minutes.
These days, Ronaldo’s confidence has curdled into hubris and he was dropped by Santos for his latest outburst, a frustrated reaction to being substituted in the defeat by South Korea in Portugal’s final group game.
Santos showed surprising backbone on the eve of the game, saying he “really did not like” Ronaldo’s behaviour but it was still a shock when the teams were announced.
The last time Portugal started a knockout game at a major tournament without the 37-year-old was the Euro 2000 semi-final.
Perhaps Santos was looking for an excuse to leave out his captain, for Portugal put in an unrecognisable display in Ronaldo’s absence, far more coherent than any in the group stage, and led by Ramos and the excellent Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva, Otavio and Bruno Fernandes.
No Manchester United supporter will be surprised that sacrificing Ronaldo led to a better team display but the step up in attacking quality was striking.
Ramos also set up Portugal’s fourth goal, a thunderous finish by left-back Guerreiro, and there was room for one senior statesman on the scoresheet, as Pepe, who took the armband for the night, doubled Portugal’s lead before half-time.
At 39, the timeless centre-half became the oldest scorer in a World Cup knockout match, and second oldest scorer in history of the competition -- behind Roger Milla -- when he headed home thunderously from Fernandes’ corner.
Rafael Leao curled home a spectacular sixth in stoppage-time to make this not only a big win but an ominous statement from Santos’ side.
A new star is born, but the big question for Santos is still how to manage the blackhole of attention that is Ronaldo for the remainder of the tournament, ensuring he remains a positive influence on the team and in the camp.
For all his shortcomings as part of a modern attacking system, Ronaldo remains a formidable competitor and there are still few players you would rather have coming off the bench when in need of a goal.
A late strike here, ruled out for offside, was a brief reminder of his finishing prowess.
If he helps Portugal to win a World Cup, even as an impact sub, it would still cement his legacy but whether he can accept a bit-part role is not entirely guaranteed -- leaving Santos facing a difficult balancing.
The final straw for Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag was Ronaldo’s reaction to not coming off the bench in the win over Tottenham, leading to the acrimonious fallout which eventually led to his release during the World Cup.
How is Ronaldo going to react if he does not come in Saturday’s quarter-final? Or in a semi-final against England or France?Santos is going to face considerable pressure to reinstate his captain in Qatar, not only from Ronaldo himself.
With the match sewn up -- even after Manuel Akanji scored a consolation for the Swiss -- loud chants of ‘Ronaldo, Ronaldo’ were ringing around Lusail Stadium on more than one occasion and there were boos too, presumably when Santos did not immediately call for him.
Judging by his reception, he would be well received if he does move to Saudi Arabia, as mooted. When Santos did call for two substitutes and Ronaldo was not among them, the boos were deafening, although the No7 soon appeared, a showman to the last, to come in a triple change. It got the loudest cheer of the night.
Ronaldo will remain at the centre of the Portuguese story here in Qatar, whether he is playing or not and there is surely no question now that he starts against Morocco. Ramos is a certainty. Santos has been left with a new talisman -- but a challenge to deal with the old one.
