Cristiano Ronaldo’s priceless reaction after being taken off for Portugal surprises commentators
Cristiano Ronaldo surprised everyone with his reaction after being taken off during Portugal’s match against Croatia in Toronto.
Ronaldo scored his first ever World Cup knockout goal in the round of 32, leveling the score for Portugal in the 68th minute. This also made him the oldest player to score in this stage of the tournament.
But when the game was tied 1-1, coach Roberto Martinez made a surprising choice to take Ronaldo off in the 81st minute. Ruben Neves came on to help control the midfield, and Portugal switched to one striker up front with Paris Saint-Germain’s Goncalo Ramos.
As you might expect, the 41-year-old didn’t look happy when the No. 7 appeared on the substitution board, and his expression was priceless. On BBC, commentator Jonathan Pearce announced the change while fans at BMO Field booed. Co-commentator Stephen Warnock noticed Ronaldo’s body language and said, “He’s not happy at all. But putting names aside, it was the right decision. Ronaldo scored the penalty, but his overall play and pressing weren’t enough. For the team’s good, the coach has to think beyond egos.”
Ronaldo did hug Neves as he left the pitch, shook hands with Martinez, and took a seat on the bench. It looked like this might have been his last World Cup game.
But Ramos became the hero in the 94th minute, scoring with a brilliant header from Rafael Leao’s cross.
Croatia almost equalized deep into stoppage time, but Josko Gvardiol’s late goal was disallowed due to an offside call involving Mario Pasalic. Video review showed that striker Igor Matanovic got a slight touch before the ball reached Pasalic, confirming the offside.
After Portugal secured their win, Ronaldo joined the celebrations and wore a Diogo Jota shirt to honor his late teammate on the anniversary of his passing.
Before the match, Ronaldo’s sister Katia Aveiro caused a stir by saying this World Cup could be his “last dance” in international football. “Enjoy it while it lasts. It’s ending soon,” she said. “I believe it’s not today he’ll say goodbye, but it’s coming. It will be hard to find someone like him after 200 goals for Portugal.”
After the game, Ronaldo said his future “is not what matters right now” and that he’ll “talk about it later” after discussing with his family.
Now, Ronaldo and Portugal get ready to face Spain in the round of 16 on Monday in Arlington, Texas, with Ronaldo looking to add to his incredible 146 international goals.