World Cup Daily: With Ronaldo watching on, a new hero emerges for Portugal
After every matchday of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily weblog will recap the day’s occasions and stay up for the following day’s slate of video games.
Here’s what occurred on Tuesday in Qatar, in case you missed it…
THE RESULTS
Morocco 0, Spain 0 (Morocco wins 3-0 in a shootout) in Al Rayyan: Match report || Match stats
Portugal 6, Switzerland 1 in Lusail: Match report || Match stats
Quarter-finals matchup: Morocco vs. Portugal in Doha (Dec. 10 at 10:00 a.m. ET)
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MAIN TALKING POINTS
A brand new Portuguese hero emerges as Ronaldo watches on
Social media blew up on Tuesday roughly one hour earlier than kickoff of the Portugal-Switzerland match, when the beginning lineups have been launched and celebrity Cristiano Ronaldo was listed as being on the bench. It marked the primary time that Ronaldo wasn’t within the beginning lineup for Portugal at a significant match since 2008 (additionally in opposition to Switzerland), ending a 31-game streak.
The choice to bench Ronaldo got here roughly 24 hours after supervisor Fernando Santos publicly criticized his captain over what he felt was his poor angle after being subbed out in Portugal’s final sport.
Benching a participant of Ronaldo’s expertise and high quality was a daring transfer by Santos, particularly in a knockout sport in opposition to a Switzerland workforce that has battled Portugal carefully over the past a number of years. In the tip, it didn’t turn into a big gamble in any respect, however relatively a sensible transfer by Santos, who began Benfica ahead Gonçalo Ramos in Ronaldo’s place.
Ramos, 21, solely had 34 minutes of worldwide expertise to his credit score earlier than kickoff, and had but to start out at this World Cup. He made up for misplaced time, although, bagging the match’s first hat trick and amassing an help in solely his fourth look for his nation.
Ramos set the tone for Portugal in its emphatic 6-1 win, scoring on an audacious shot from a good angle early on. After solely 17 minutes, the teen had scored extra objectives for Portugal within the World Cup knockout levels than Ronaldo had in 514 minutes of motion throughout 5 World Cup appearances. Ramos was ultimately subbed off within the 73rd minute as a spherical of thunderous applause echoed all through Lusail Iconic Stadium. His alternative? Ronaldo himself, whose exile by Santos was commuted when Portugal was up by 5 objectives and the outcome was past doubt.
Photographers nonetheless targeted their lenses on Ronaldo throughout his temporary cameo, whereas followers within the terraces shrieked each time he touched the ball and sang out his title. But it was his younger apprentice who powered Portugal into the following spherical, rising because the nation’s latest hero.
Morocco flying the flag for Africa at this World Cup
Morocco’s magical run in Qatar continues after a heroic effort on Tuesday that noticed the Atlas Lions claw again the problem of mighty Spain, the second European big to have been humbled on the toes of the Africans at this match. Morocco is the fourth African workforce – and the primary Arab nation – to achieve the quarterfinals of a males’s World Cup after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.
In solely their second World Cup knockout sport (the opposite was in 1986 in Mexico), the Moroccans annoyed the fashionable Spanish with their defensive group for 120 minutes of regulation and additional time earlier than goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who performs in Spain’s La Liga for Sevilla, emerged because the hero by making two large saves within the penalty shootout.
It was Achraf Hakimi, one other Moroccan participant with Spanish connections (he was born in Spain and beforehand performed for Real Madrid), who transformed the decisive penalty. In doing so, Spain fell sufferer, precisely like Belgium did within the group stage, to an unassuming Morocco aspect that’s quick on star energy however lengthy on preventing spirit and grit.
Spain carried the overwhelming majority of the play, having fun with a whopping 77 per cent possession and finishing greater than thrice as many passes as Morocco (1,019 vs. 305). But for all of their statistical domination, the Spanish have been bereft of attacking concepts within the remaining third of the pitch and couldn’t discover a solution to break down the Moroccan resistance.
GOAL OF THE DAY
In the seventeenth minute, Portugal’s João Félix obtained the ball off a throw-in and performed it into the field for Goncalo Ramos. The 21-year-old ahead took a fast contact as he turned away from a Swiss defender after which hit a thunderbolt of a shot from a good angle previous goalkeeper Yann Sommer and into the highest left nook of the web.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
Morocco fullback Achraf Hakimi, born and raised in Madrid, dumped Spain out of the World Cup along with his Panenka through the penalty shootout after which celebrated along with his mom.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We were unable to score … So, no matter how much we say that we deserved to win for the chances we created and for playing more in their area, it is not going to change anything. The only thing left for us is to accept that we have been eliminated.” – Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon
SIX PACK OF STATS
• Sergio Busquets is now tied with Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos as Spain’s most-capped gamers in World Cup historical past.
• Spain’s Gavi (18 years and 123 days) is the youngest participant to start out a knockout match on the males’s World Cup since Pele (17 years and 249 days) within the 1958 remaining.
• This was Spain’s fifth World Cup penalty shootout, the joint-most of any nation (tied with Argentina).
• Portugal defender Pepe is the oldest males’s participant to attain in a knockout sport on the World Cup (39 years and 283 days).
• Switzerland has not received a knockout spherical sport on the males’s World Cup since 1938.
• Bruno Fernandes has been immediately concerned in 5 objectives in three video games at this World Cup (two objectives and three assists). It’s the very best variety of purpose involvements by a Portuguese participant for the reason that 1966 match (10 for Eusébio and 6 for José Torres).
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1) Goncalo Ramos (Portugal): A hat trick and an help in solely his fourth look for his nation. Nothing extra must be mentioned.
2) João Félix (Portugal): Somewhat overshadowed by Ramos’s breakout efficiency was the Atletico Madrid winger who collected two assists and ran rampant in opposition to the stagnant Swiss.
3) Yassine Bounou (Morocco): The Montreal-born goalkeeper made two saves within the penalty shootout to elevate his nation to victory over Spain and ship it by way of to the quarter-finals.
LOOKING AHEAD TO FRIDAY
The quarter-finals kick off with Croatia taking over Brazil in Al Rayyan (10 a.m. ET) in a match that can undoubtedly be the stiffest check both nation has confronted so far at this World Cup. Except for the sport in opposition to Canada, the Croatians haven’t actually shifted into second gear in Qatar, but they’ve made it this far. So, it’ll be attention-grabbing to see how they handle in going toe-to-toe with a Brazilian aspect that’s coming off a rampant win within the spherical of 16.
The second match of the day sees the Netherlands tackle Argentina in Lusail (2 p.m. ET), with Lionel Messi trying to hold alive hopes of successful his first World Cup in his remaining look within the match.
John Molinaro is likely one of the main soccer journalists in Canada, having coated the sport for over 20 years for a number of media shops, together with Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is presently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, an internet site devoted to in-depth protection of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic will be discovered right here.
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