Fernando Santos, coach of the Portugal national soccer team, said he did not like Cristiano Ronaldo’s furious reaction after he replaced the Portuguese superstar during their 2-1 loss to South Korea in their third Group H game in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Portugal, who had sealed their qualification for the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by winning their first two games in Group H, faced South Korea in the third. The EURO 2016 winners, however, suffered a shock 2-1 loss to South Korea in the match.
Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted in the 65th minute of the game, and Fernando Santos replaced the Portugal captain with André Silva. The cameras then caught a visibly frustrated Ronaldo appearing to say “he’s in a hurry to replace me”.
Cristiano Ronaldo later reacted furiously when a South Korean player asked him to quickly leave the field. The Portuguese superstar explained the same thing after the Portugal vs South Korea match, as did Fernando Santos.
Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo explains angry reaction after Portugal’s substitution during FIFA World Cup match
Fernando Santos unhappy with Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction to substitution during FIFA World Cup clash
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Portugal vs Switzerland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup round of 16, Fernando Santos was asked about the video, in which Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to criticize his decision to replace him.
In response to that question, Fernando Santos admitted that he did not like what he saw when he viewed the footage and said that the issue had been resolved internally.
“We are going to divide this answer in two,” said Fernando Santos when asked about the aforementioned video.
Fernando Santos added: “Right after the game, I spoke in the flash interview, then I went to the press conference and there I said something that I repeat here: on the pitch, I didn’t hear anything. He was too far away, and that’s why I only saw him arguing with a South Korean player, and nothing else.
“Have I seen the images yet? Yes. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all. From there, they are things that you solve internally. It was solved in this way, and now we think about tomorrow’s game. Everyone is focused on the game.”
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo and company. face Switzerland in the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Switzerland qualified for the round of 16 after finishing second in Group G, with six points from three matches.
Read More: Manuel Akanji reveals how he plans to stop Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal vs Switzerland FIFA World Cup clash
This 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Portugal and Switzerland kicks off at 12:30am Indian Standard Time on November 7.
