Joao Felix, Pepe and Goncalo Ramos have been eager to downplay any connection between the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal’s sensible efficiency within the final 16 of the World Cup.
Ronaldo was sensationally dropped by coach Fernando Santos for the conflict with Switzerland following a string of poor performances and unhelpful distractions.
21-year-old Ramos stepped in and hit a hat-trick on his World Cup debut in a 6-1 win that appeared to show that Portugal are now not reliant on their all-time prime scorer.
Ramos himself was the primary to rally round Ronaldo after the match, saying: “He’s the captain, he’s the leader and we always look forward to playing side by side with him.”
Another participant Ronaldo’s absence seem to unleash was Felix, who didn’t get himself on the scoresheet regardless of a superb efficiency.
“It was a great game for the whole team,” Felix advised RTP3. “We started well from the first minute. We played a complete game and when it’s like that it’s harder for someone to beat us.
“Whether Cristiano is there or not, the important thing is the team. The team also plays well when Ronaldo is there.”
Veteran defender Pepe concurred, and he quashed any rumours that Ronaldo was throwing any tantrums over the choice to drop him.
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“He knows perfectly well that the most important thing is ‘us’,” Pepe mentioned. “What happened today was the coach’s choice and must be respected.”
Pepe grabbed a piece of World Cup history for himself too, as he became the oldest man to ever score in a knockout stage game.
He rose to brilliantly head home a first half corner, but he was keen to credit good old-fashioned training ground work for it.
”We’ve been engaged on it and within the first nook we have been going to hit straight,” he mentioned. “I was in the right place. The collective hard work paid off.”