Ronaldo-less Portugal beats Switzerland 6-1 at World Cup
Lusail, Qatar (AP): With Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, the superstar striker's replacement scored a hat trick to lead Portugal over Switzerland 6-1 and into the World Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Goncalo Ramos, a 21-year-old forward who only made his Portugal debut last month, made his first start for his country and demonstrated the kind of clinical finishing Ronaldo was once known for.
Ramos scored the opening goal in the 17th minute and added others in the 51st and 67th by which time chants of "RONALDO! RONALDO!" were swirling around the 89,000-seat Lusail Stadium.
The 37-year-old Ronaldo entered as a substitute in the 72nd minute to loud cheers, though Portugal had the game wrapped up by then with defenders Pepe and Raphael Guerreiro also scoring. Rafael Leao added a another goal in stoppage time.
Manuel Akanji scored for Switzerland.
Portugal advanced to the quarterfinals for the third time, after 1966 and 2006, and will play Morocco on Saturday.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos now has to decide whether to stick with Ramos or restore Ronaldo, the top scorer in men's international soccer and one of the game's greatest ever players.
Ronaldo had a couple of chances after coming on, and even thought he had scored when he ran through and drove a low shot past Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer. The goal was disallowed for offside, much to the irritation of the fans Portuguese or from other countries who had come to see him.
After the final whistle, as Portugal players stayed on the field to applaud the team's fans at one end of the stadium, Ronaldo walked off on his own perhaps wondering where his career goes from here. He is currently without a club after leaving Manchester United midway through the World Cup.
Ronaldo was dropped a day after Santos expressed his unhappiness at the striker's attitude after he was substituted against South Korea in the team's final group game.
Ramos was a surprise replacement he had previously only made three substitute appearances for Portugal and took his chance.
Ramos, who was only 2 years old when Ronaldo made his Portugal debut in 2003, produced the first hat trick at this year's World Cup. He also did something Ronaldo has never achieved score a knockout goal at soccer's biggest tournament.
Ramos drove a rising shot with his left foot inside Sommer's near post for the first goal, flicked deftly through Sommer's legs from close range for the second, and then ran through to chip the goalkeeper for his third.
Ronaldo was seen smiling while he was warming up on the side of the field after Ramos' second goal.
Ramos even had an assist, playing the ball through for Guerreiro to score the fourth goal.
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SGPC writes to Mann, seeks ban on 'Emergency' in Punjab a day before release
Amritsar, Jan 16 (PTI): The SGPC on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a ban on the release of Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency' saying it "tarnishes" the image of Sikhs and "misrepresents" history.
Actor and BJP MP Ranaut's 'Emergency' is slated to release in cinemas on January 17.
In the letter to Mann, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed strong objection to Ranaut's film.
Dhami said that if the film is released in Punjab, it will spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state.
The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, had earlier also protested the film.
"It has come to our attention that the movie 'Emergency' produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked," its letter to Mann read.
Dhami said the SGPC had also protested the release of the movie in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary on November 14 last year.
"But it is sad that the Punjab government has not taken any step till now. If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world," the current letter read.
Dhami said the SGPC will submit a letter also to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.
The SGPC denounced the "character assassination" of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Khalistani militant killed in 1984 in a military operation.
"If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level," Dhami said.
In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the producers of the 'Emergency' film, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove the objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.
In the notice, the producers of the film, including Kangana Ranaut, were asked to remove the trailer released on August 14 from all public and social media platforms and tender a written apology to the Sikh community.
The SGPC objected to film writing separate letters to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification.
