DOHA – Few fans had heard of Goncalo Ramos before Portugal’s 6-1 demolition of Switzerland on Tuesday took them into the World Cup quarter-finals but, after a hat-trick and an assist, he made sure they will never forget him.
But the 21-year-old Benfica striker admitted that he had not even dreamt of starting a World Cup knockout match, let alone scoring three in his first start in the tournament.
He was handed a start ahead of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and rewarded coach Fernando Santos with a brilliant match-winning display.
“Not even in my wildest dreams did I think of making my first start in a World Cup knockout game and scoring three goals,” Ramos said.
“But we have to think game by game and prepare for the next match (quarter-final with Morocco). This result doesn’t matter now. We’re going to go all out in the next game.”
Nicknamed “The Sorcerer”, he instantly lived up to his moniker at the Lusail Stadium.
Ramos could not have hoped for a more magical night, having made his international debut only three days before the World Cup started.
But even in that game, the Benfica youth product had issued a warning, scoring once and setting up another goal in Portugal’s 4-0 win over Nigeria in their last warm-up match on Nov 17 that again did not include Ronaldo.
Ramos had featured for only 10 minutes in total in Portugal’s World Cup group matches, but earned a surprise start when Santos opted to leave the country’s all-time top scorer Ronaldo on the bench and take a risk with the youngster.
The result was a far more fluid attack than in the previous games, with Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes playing more freely than usual.
While for years every Portuguese attacking move was all but destined to end up with Ronaldo, now the frontline was far more unpredictable.
It was just such a creative through-ball from Felix that found Ramos, who never blinked as he thundered the ball into the net from an extremely tight angle to leave goalkeeper Yann Sommer looking like a deer caught in headlights.
Another flick at the near post saw him grab his second goal and he completed his hat-trick with a well-timed run and chip over Sommer in the 67th minute. In between, he had time to deliver an assist for Raphael Guerreiro.
Ramos is neither the muscular package that is Ronaldo nor does he play as far forward as the Portugal captain. But with a silky touch and an acceleration that left Swiss defenders repeatedly scrambling, he was a constant threat.
While thousands of Portuguese fans repeatedly chanted “Ronaldo, Ronaldo”, hoping to see the superstar in action, Ramos became the first player to score a hat-trick in his first World Cup start since Germany’s Miroslav Klose in an 8-0 rout of Saudi Arabia 20 years ago.
Only when the game was already in the bag did Ronaldo come on as a late substitute and earned the loudest cheers of the night. But by then a new Portugal hero, no longer the sorcerer’s apprentice, had stolen the show with a memorable performance.
Ramos was also asked how the dressing room – and Ronaldo – had reacted to the surprise team selection from Santos.
“Honestly no one in the team talked about it. Cristiano, as captain did what he does, he helped, he talked to us, not only to myself but also to my teammates,” he said.
He added that the 37-year-old Ronaldo had been an example to him as he grew up.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has always been a role model, he is an idol for many. I also like (Robert) Lewandowski and (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic,” he said. AFP, REUTERS
