Cristiano Ronaldo was benched against Switzerland for Portugal‘s round of 16 World Cup match. Portugal went on to win the match 6-1. Ronaldo’s replacement, Goncalo Ramos scored a hattrick in his first World Cup start. Other scoreres were Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro, and Rafael Leao. Ronaldo came on in the 73rd minute, scoring a goal that was ruled out for offside.
DON’T SLEEP ON PORTUGAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/j6LkxWSGra
— GOAL (@goal) December 6, 2022
Ronaldo’s girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez was also present in Qatar to support Ronaldo. The two have been together since 2017. The Argentine model gave her verdict on Fernando Santos not picking Ronaldo through an Instagram post. Portugal will face Morocco in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup on Saturday, 10th December.
Why didn’t Cristiano Ronaldo start against Switzerland?
Portugal’s manager Fernando Santos was not pleased with Ronaldo’s outburst against South Korea. Ronaldo was seen shushing a South Korean player as he exited the pitch in their 2-1 defeat to the Son Heung-min-led side. Ronaldo said, “Before my substitution, one of their players was telling me to leave quickly. I told him to shut up, he has no authority, and he doesn’t have to say anything.”
OFFICIAL: Ronaldo is on the bench for Portugal’s last 16 match against Switzerland pic.twitter.com/YCrdm1zbxx
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 6, 2022
Santos was unhappy with his reaction and said, “Have I seen the images? Yes, I didn’t like it.” Ronaldo’s performances in the season so far have not been very good either. The Portuguese has scored just four goals for Manchester United and Portugal all season. Santos’ decision to drop Ronaldo seemed to be merited, especially after Goncalo Ramos’ hattrick.
Georgina Rodriguez sends a message to Portugal’s coach Fernando Santos
Cristiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez was also present at the match. She wrote, “Congratulations Portugal. While the 11 players sang the hymn all the goals placed on you. What a shame not to have been able to enjoy the best player in the world during the 90 minutes. The fans have not stopped claiming you and shouting your name. I hope that God and your dear friend Fernando continue hand in hand.”
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She seemed to be unhappy with Santos’ decision to drop Ronaldo, despite Portugal winning 6-1. It must be remembered that in a poll conducted by a Portuguese outlet, 70% of Portuguese fans wanted to see Ronaldo dropped for yesterday’s match. But Georgina’s support for Ronaldo is visible and understandable in this case, just like millions of his fans all over the world.
