Portugal has laid down a gauntlet at the 2022 World Cup as the quarterfinals are set to kick off on Friday after a 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland at Lusail Iconic Stadium.
On a night when rivals Spain were ousted from the competition after a penalty shootout loss to Morocco, Portuguese manager Fernando Santos made a huge call in his matchday XI when he dropped Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench in favor of 21-year-old SL Benfica hotshot Gonçalo Ramos despite A Seleçao’s future at the tournament at stake.
Ramos would end up delivering in a manner that no one could have dreamed of after his form at club level translated expertly into Santo’s system after he bagged a hat-trick while leading the line despite his tenure age, but in doing so, Ramos equaled a 26-year-old statistical milestone that dates back to the 1994 World Cup.
With 3 goals and 1 assist, Gonçalo Ramos is the first person to register 4+ goal involvements in a single WC game since Oleg Salenko (6 vs. Cameroon in 1994).
Salenko never appeared for Russia again…
We highly doubt that will be the case for Gonçalo Ramos #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/wy6WpAusnu
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 6, 2022
Though Russia failed to make it out of the group stage when the United States hosted the global spectacle, Spanish-based striker Oleg Salenko had the summer of his career when he scored six of Russia’s seven goals of the tournament, including a five-goal performance in a 6-1 win over Rodger Milla’s Cameroon at Stanford Stadium in California.
No other player has achieved four or more goal involvements in a single World Cup match since Salenko before Ramos’ achievements tonight, with the young striker also bringing goals to the knockout stage in service of his country; something Ronaldo has never achieved during a World Cup run.
With their quarterfinal date against Morocco set, the new face of Portuguese football in Qatar could once again prove decisive as the tournament progresses.
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