- World Cup. Portugal prove they are scarier without Ronaldo as they cruise past Switzerland
- World Cup. Are Portugal better without Cristiano Ronaldo?
Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland will be ed for many reasons, not least the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo didn't start this last 16 match.
The man who did start it, Goncalo Ramos, was the star of the night and scored a hat-trick to send the Portuguese on their way to a 6-1 victory, that sets up a quarter-final clash with Morocco.
The big pre-match news of the night was the benching of Cristiano Ronaldo, the latest blow for the No.7 in what has been a difficult 2022.
He became the first player to score in five consecutive World Cups earlier this tournament, but then tried to claim a goal that wasn't his against Uruguay and showed poor attitude when substituted off against South Korea.
This saw him dropped for the last 16 game, and Portugal actually looked better without their talisman.
When he was substituted on, to the delight of the fans who still love him and who chanted his name, Portugal were already 5-1 up.
To make Ronaldo's night worse, he scored a goal that was ruled out, because of a very obvious offside.
The main reason Portugal coped so well without Cristiano Ronaldo was the fact that Goncalo Ramos had a breakout performance, scoring an impressive hat-trick aged just 21.
The Benfica man showed that he is the future, and he'll surely keep his spot in the line-up for the quarter-final against Morocco.
Another key player was Pepe, as he scored one of Portugal's goals and kept them solid at the back.
He'll turn 40 years of age in February, but remains an excellent centre-back in both penalty areas.
Rafael Leao is another Portuguese player who is in top form in the 2022 World Cup, as he ne netted against Ghana and scored his second goal in the tournament against Switzerland.
The AC Milan striker came off the bench in the 88th minute and it took him just three minutes to get his name on the scoresheet with a fabulous effort from the edge of the box.
Spanish fans who see the glass half full would stress that a potential elimination by Portugal in the quarter-finals would have been more painful.
That's because this Portuguese side look as though they have rediscovered their form.