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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Vinay Somaiah Suicide: BJP stages road blockade protest in Madikeri
Madikeri: The Kodagu district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a road blockade protest in Madikeri on Thursday, demanding the immediate arrest of those allegedly responsible for the suicide of party worker Vinay Somaiah.
BJP leaders and workers assembled at General Thimmaiah Circle in the heart of the city, raising slogans against the Congress party and the state government. The protestors specifically demanded action against a Congress spokesperson mentioned in a note Vinay reportedly left before his death.
Addressing the gathering, former Assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government and the police. He said the FIR against Vinay originally stayed by the court was later revived under a different section by the police. “Vinay had merely posted about the unhygienic condition of the Napoklu public toilet. Instead of addressing the issue, an FIR was filed against him. This is unacceptable. The police seem to be functioning under the directions of Congress MLAs, disregarding even court orders,” he stated.
District BJP President Napanda Ravi Kalappa also criticized the police, saying Vinay had no direct connection to the original post and was wrongly targeted. “An innocent man has lost his life. Two MLAs in Kodagu district are misusing police power to suppress dissent. The FIR was registered under political pressure,” he alleged, further demanding that the two MLAs resign and cooperate with the investigation into Vinay's death.
The protest led to a road blockade that lasted for over an hour, significantly affecting traffic. Despite requests from police officers to clear the area, BJP workers insisted on the arrival of the District Superintendent of Police (SP) to address their concerns.
SP K. Ramarajan later arrived at the protest site and informed the protesters that since the incident occurred in Bengaluru, the investigation was being conducted by the police there.
He assured full cooperation from the Kodagu police in the ongoing probe. Following his assurance, the BJP workers dispersed peacefully.
District BJP General Secretary Mahesh Jaini, SC Morcha District President P.M. Ravi, Women’s Wing President Anita Poovaiah, and other key party functionaries including Suvin Ganapathy, Jagadish, Arun Shetty, municipal council members, and BJP office-bearers from across the district were present on the occasion.
