Lusail: Following his side's win over Switzerland in their round of 16 FIFA World Cup match, Portugal manager Fernando Santos said that omitting star striker Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting team was a "game strategy".
A hat-trick by 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos and strikes from Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao helped Portugal advance to the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup as they thrashed Switzerland 6-1 at Lusail, Qatar on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters after the win, Santos was quoted as saying by Goal.com: "I already explained it (the situation surrounding Ronaldo being dropped), I would not explain it again. They are different players. It was game strategy, all the players are different, I also launched Dalot, Raphael, however Cancelo is also a fabulous player. It was what I thought that we would need for this match against Switzerland."
He added: "There is no problem between Fernando Santos and the captain of the national team (Ronaldo), we've been friends for many years. Players make decisions. Things do not affect us. I already explained, that part was completely resolved and he set a great example of a great captain."
