Are Portugal better without Cristiano Ronaldo? It seems they no longer need him

Several eyebrows may have been raised following Fernando Santos' decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench, but Portugal produced their finest performance in the 2022 World Cup and grabbed a 6-1 win against Switzerland on Tuesday.

Santos dropped Ronaldo for Goncalo Ramos, who netted a hat-trick to lead Portugal to the World Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco.

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But it was not only Ramos who stood out, as the whole team impressed with their vertical style of play and their organized counter attacks.

No more dependence on Cristiano Ronaldo

Aged 37, the former Manchester United forward lacks the pace that made him one of the best players in the history of the sport.

As a result, the whole team are forced to play in slower tempo when he is on the pitch.

Ronaldo can no longer create as much danger as he used to produce in front of goal with his pace and dribbling ability, however Portugal do not seem to be dependant on him anymore, as they were already up 5-1 when he came off the bench in the 71st minute against Switzerland.

A Bola readers had already voted in favor of Ronaldo being dropped against the Swiss. Without their captain, Portugal were dominant from start to finish, found more spaces to exploit on the counter and were solid at the back.

As for Ronaldo, the Portuguese star came off the bench with around 20 minutes to go, but he failed to contribute despite netting one very offside goal, that was ruled out.

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