Cristiano Ronaldo remains on the bench for the quarter-final clash against Morocco at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha. Ronaldo started all three group games for Portugal but has been dropped to the bench for the second successive game.
Many questioned the reasoning behind Fernando Santos’s decision, with some suggesting it was for disciplinary reasons.
In place of Ronaldo, Gonçalo Ramos fired in a hat-trick against Switzerland on his World Cup debut and he will retain his place in the crucial tie versus Morocco on Saturday.
Ronaldo is still awaiting his first goal in the knockout stages of a World Cup and he will be keen to level Lionel Messi who recently scored his first against Australia in the round of 16 at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
Starting Lineups
Morocco: Bounou; Hakimi, Yamiq, Saiss, Attiatallah; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri and Boufal.
Portugal: Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Raphael Guerreiro; Rúben Neves, Otávio; Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix; Gonçalo Ramos.
Mark Marston | GWFN
