In the final round of the World Cup Round of 16, Portugal beat Switzerland by a lopsided score of 6-1 in the early hours of Wednesday morning (7) to advance to the last eight of the World Cup, where they will play with the Netherlands, Argentina, Croatia, Brazil, England, France and Morocco. Despite the unexpected benching of captain Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal's rising star Giancarlo Ramos scored three goals to help the team reach the last eight again since 2006.
Portugal's head coach Ferrando Santos made a surprise move by bringing on C Ronaldo as a substitute, giving the striker's position to 21-year-old Giancarlo Ramos. This tactical adjustment was aimed at accelerating the team's attacking tempo, and at the beginning of the match, Portugal and Switzerland were engaged in a fierce attack and defense. In the 17th minute, Portugal launched an attack on the left side of the field, and Giancarlo Ramos got rid of the opponent in the penalty area and scored the first goal with a narrow-angle long-distance shot.
Portugal got more and more aggressive after taking the lead, with several counterattacks ending in shots on goal. Switzerland were awarded a penalty kick by Sutton Shakili in the 30th minute, but the shot hit the post. Portugal extended their lead again in the 33rd minute when veteran Bibi became the oldest player to score in World Cup knockout stage history (39 years and 283 days) with a header from a corner kick. Drykalu Ramos missed a one-touch chance just before halftime, but Portugal still went into the break with a two-goal advantage.
In the second half, Portugal continued to take control of the game, and in the 51st minute, Darroch's cross from the right was met by a shot from Giancarlo Ramos in front of the goal to increase the lead to 3-0. 4 minutes later, Portugal again showed great teamwork, with Rafael Gurrielu firing a shot from the left side of the field. Switzerland pulled a goal back in the 58th minute from a corner kick by Venlur Ejengi, but Giancarlo Ramos added to the lead in the 67th minute from a pinpoint cross by Joao Felice, while Cristiano Ronaldo came on as a substitute in the 74th minute, and although the goal was ruled out due to an offside call, Portugal added the icing on the cake in stoppage time with a goal by Ralphiglio to seal the 6-1 win over Switzerland. The final score was 6-1, successfully advancing to the last eight.
