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Joao Felix, Pepe and Goncalo Ramos had been eager to downplay any connection between the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal’s good efficiency within the final 16 of the World Cup.
Ronaldo was sensationally dropped by coach Fernando Santos for the conflict with Switzerland following a string of poor performances and unhelpful distractions.
21-year-old Ramos stepped in and hit a hat-trick on his World Cup debut in a 6-1 win that appeared to show that Portugal are now not reliant on their all-time high scorer.
Ramos himself was the primary to rally round Ronaldo after the match, saying: “He’s the captain, he’s the chief and we at all times look ahead to enjoying facet by facet with him.”
One other participant Ronaldo’s absence seem to unleash was Felix, who didn’t get himself on the scoresheet regardless of a superb efficiency.
“It was an awesome recreation for the entire workforce,” Felix advised RTP3. “We began properly from the primary minute. We performed an entire recreation and when it is like that it is more durable for somebody to beat us.
“Whether or not Cristiano is there or not, the necessary factor is the workforce. The workforce additionally performs properly when Ronaldo is there.”
Veteran defender Pepe concurred, and he quashed any rumours that Ronaldo was throwing any tantrums over the choice to drop him.
Harry Symeou hosts Andy Headspeath, Toby Cudworth & La Liga TV presenter Semra Hunter to look again on the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa – be a part of us!
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“He is aware of completely properly that a very powerful factor is ‘us’,” Pepe stated. “What occurred as we speak was the coach’s selection and have to be revered.”
Pepe grabbed a bit of World Cup historical past for himself too, as he turned the oldest man to ever rating in a knockout stage recreation.
He rose to brilliantly head house a primary half nook, however he was eager to credit score good old school coaching floor work for it.
”We have been engaged on it and within the first nook we had been going to hit straight,” he stated. “I used to be in the fitting place. The collective exhausting work paid off.”
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