Morocco fan dressed as a lion inside the stadium before the match, on December 10, 2022
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Portugal again left captain Cristiano Ronaldo out of their starting line-up, keeping hat-trick hero Goncalo Ramos in the team for Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco.
Portugal’s all-time leading goal scorer with 118 goals in 195 appearances, Ronaldo was benched for Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Switzerland in the last 16 where the 21-year-old Ramos scored three in only his fourth appearance.
Ronaldo, 37, was upset at being left out by coach Fernando Santos on the eve of the game, and Portugal’s football federation then had to deny reports that their skipper had threatened to leave the tournament.
Santos made one change on Saturday after that convincing win, with Ruben Neves in for William Carvalho, while his Morocco counterpart Walid Regragui was forced to shuffle his defence after Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui were ruled out by injury.
The absence of both is a major blow, with Yahia Attiat Allah in at left back for Mazraoui and Jawad El Yamiq replacing Aguerd.
There had also been concern over the fitness of captain Romain Saiss and midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, but both will play.
Starting line-ups for the World Cup quarterfinal between Morocco and Portugal
Morocco (4-3-3)
Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Jawad El Yamiq, Romain Saiss (capt), Yahya Attiat-Allah; Sofyan Amrabat, Azzedine Ounahi, Selim Amallah; Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri, Sofiane Boufal
Coach: Walid Regragui (MAR)
Portugal (4-2-3-1)
Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Ruben Dias, Pepe (capt), Raphael Guerreiro; Ruben Neves, Otavio; Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix; Goncalo Ramos
Coach: Fernando Santos (POR)
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)
