In the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, Portugal were knocked out after a 1-0 defeat against Morocco in their quarter-final clash on Saturday. Even after the team were outplayed, Portugal manager Fernando Santos stated that he won’t be changing his decision of putting Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench.
Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugal’s all-time leading goal scorer as he scored 118 goals in 195 appearances. He was asked to warm the bench on Tuesday against Switzerland in the last 16.
“I do not regret (leaving Ronaldo on the bench),” coach Santos told a news conference on Saturday.
“It wouldn’t change anything, in terms of the team I can’t be thinking with my heart.
“I used the team that played really well against Switzerland and there was no reason to change it (against Morocco).
“The strategic decision that I had to make was one of the hardest, but I can’t think with my heart, I have to think with my head.
“It’s not that Ronaldo is no longer a great player, that has nothing to do with it.”
Earlier, Morocco became the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 victory over Portugal on Saturday at Al Thumama Stadium, owing to Youssef En-first-half Nesyri's goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo has most likely played his final World Cup match after coming on as a second-half substitute and failing to score his first knockout-phase goal of the tournament. Portugal poured on the pressure after the half, but Morocco held on despite being reduced to 10 men in additional time, despite being without three of their four first-choice defenders when skipper Romain Saiss was taken off.
The North Africans were obviously aided by the partisan crowd, but Portugal struggled to produce many clear-cut chances as they lost a World Cup quarter-final for the first time.