Con el dolor aún en las venas, Cristiano Ronaldo dejó el refugio del silencio y habló por primera vez desde la eliminación que sufrió Portugal a manos de Marruecos, en los cuartos de final del Mundial de Catar 2022.
El Bicho está triste y en un mensaje en Instagram vació todo lo que siente en el alma, dejando además un críptico mensaje sobre su futuro en la selección lusa.
With the pain of the elimination still burning inside, the veteran Portuguese defender Pepe made a bold claim, saying that the World Cup has been set to give Argentina the title.
Minutes after the 0-1 defeat against Morocco, Pepe elaborated his conspiracy theory talking with Portuguese broadcaster RTP3. And a lot had to do with the referee selection for the game against the Atlas Lions, Facundo Tello, who is Argentine.
Needing just three wins to lift the 2022 FIFA World Cup and beginning the journey against unfavored Morocco on Saturday, Portugal slipped to a historic 1-0 defeat against the Atlas Lions, meaning Morocco's the first African side to ever reach the semifinals while Cristiano Ronaldo's record-setting international career is at a crossroads.
La imagen de Cristiano Ronaldo en los túneles del estadio Al Thumama llorando de manera desconsolada resume como ninguna la sorprendente victoria de Marruecos sobre Portugal.
Pese a la fenomenal campaña del equipo africano en el Mundial, la sensación generalizada era que los lusos iban a acabar con el cuento de hadas. Sin embargo, un gol de cabeza de Youssef En-Nesyri puso al mundo patas arriba, sellando la primera clasificación de un equipo africano a las semifinales de una Copa del Mundo y de paso cortando de raíz el sueño de CR7 de obtener el trofeo en el ocaso de su carrera.
Youssef En-Nesyri will never have to pay for anything in Morocco again after scoring a goal that Cristiano Ronaldo would be proud of. His finish was the difference as Morocco won 1-0, sending Portugal home from Qatar early.
MOROCCO TAKES THE LEAD VS PORTUGAL pic.twitter.com/X9qbiJeCBP
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 10, 2022
AL RAYYAN, Qatar - Portugal's Football Federation (FPF) have denied media reports that captain Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during the World Cup after coach Fernando Santos dropped him for their last-16 win over Switzerland.
Portugal must have seen Brazil’s emphatic drubbing of South Korea on Monday and thought, “that’s it?”
Without Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting 11 for its knockout round tie against Switzerland, Portugal was allowed to breathe going forward and discovered its creative side, without having the attacking muzzle that is Manchester United’s newest abdication.
It was a long shot when the tournament began, but the answer to "can Messi face Ronaldo in World Cup 2022 final" is suddenly somewhat plausible with both Argentina and Portugal reaching the quarterfinals on opposite sides of the bracket.
That means Messi and Ronaldo both need to win just two more games to reach the final at Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18. Here's how it's to be done.
Argentina's route to the final
Antes de su partido de octavos de final ante Suiza, el técnico de Portugal Fernando Santos sorprendió al mundo anunciando que Cristiano Ronaldo no sería titular. No porque estuviera lesionado, sino que por simple y llana decisión técnica.
La ausencia de CR7, sin embargo, no sería problema. Su reemplazante, Gonçalo Ramos, justificaría luego la controversial decisión de su entrenador, marcando el primer hat trick del Mundial y guiando la clasificación de los lusos a los cuartos de final del torneo, donde enfrentarán a Marruecos.
Portugal manager Fernando Santos made the incredibly bold decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for his team’s 6-1 victory vs. Switzerland in the Round of 16 on Tuesday. Taking Ronaldo’s place was 21-year-old Benfica talent Gonçalo Ramos.
The rest is history.
Ramos scored a hat trick and added an assist in a dominant performance. Ronaldo who?
The rumor for why CR7 was benched is for a spat he had with South Korea’s Cho Gue-sung when being substituted out of Portugal’s final group stage game.