Goncalo Ramos replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal starting XI against Switzerland at the World Cup and netted twice.
Ramos started in place of Ronaldo in Portugal’s last-16 clash against Switzerland on Tuesday and needed just 17 minutes to get on the scoresheet. The 21-year-old smashed a powerful effort past Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer at his near post to fire Portugal into an early lead.
It got even better for Ramos in the second half when he scored his second of the night to make it 3-0 and then grabbed an assist for Portugal’s fourth goal, scored by Raphael Guerreiro. He even completed his hat trick – the first scored at this World Cup – before full time.
Portugal manager Fernando Santos raised eyebrows with his decision to drop Ronaldo and bring in Ramos. However, his decision appears to have paid off with Ramos showing exactly what he can do in a strong showing by Portugal. Ramos has also done something Ronaldo is yet to manage, score in the knockout stages of a World Cup.
The winners of the match between Portugal and Switzerland will face Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Santos’ side look likely to progress, with Pepe giving them a 2-0 lead before the break.
