Portugal vs Switzerland Highlights: Ramos score a hat-trick as Portugal demolish Switzerland 6-1 to storm into quarters

NEW DELHI: Young Goncalo Ramos scored the first hat-trick of the FIFA World Cup 2022 to power a rampant Portugal into the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The 21-year-old striker helped Portugal demolish Switzerland 6-1 in their Round of 16 encounter at the Lusail stadium.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos took a brave decision to start Ramos in place of their record goal-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo and it paid off handsomely for them. Portugal will meet Morocco, who beat Spain 3-0 on penalties earlier on Tuesday, in their first last eight appearance since 2006.
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In his first World Cup start, Ramos put Portugal in the lead with a scintillating strike in the 17th minute, before their oldest member Pepe scored a powerful header in the 33rd minute to give them a 2-0 advantage at the halftime break.
Ramos scored his second goal in the 51st minute to increase the lead and Raphael Guerreiro soon made it 4-0 four minutes later. Switzerland responded with a goal by Manuel Akanji in the 58th minute, but the lead was too much for them in the end. Ramos then completed his hat-trick with a strike in the 67th minute, before substitute Rafael Leao wrapped it up for Portugal with a goal in stoppage time.

Ramos had played only 10 minutes as a substitute in Qatar but the youngster looked like he belonged on the big stage with a memorable performance for Portugal who did not miss Ronaldo - a late substitute who had a goal ruled out for offside.
Ramos opened the scoring in the 17th minute by picking up Joao Felix's incisive pass before blasting the ball from a tight angle into the top corner to put the Portuguese ahead.
Portugal doubled their lead through skipper Pepe when the 39-year-old timed his leap to perfection to rise above the two Swiss centre backs and head home from a Bruno Fernandes corner in the 33rd minute, with Yann Sommer well beaten yet again.
The Swiss keeper did well to deny Ramos his second goal of the half with a fingertip save from a late counter-attack as the Portuguese went in with a 2-0 halftime lead.

But Sommer could do nothing when Diogo Dalot sent in a cross six minutes after the restart, with Ramos in the right place again at the near post to slip the ball between his legs to give Portugal a three-goal cushion.
The Portuguese piled on the misery when they carved open the Swiss defence with another flowing counter-attack in which Ramos found Raphael Guerreiro in acres of space and the full back fired the ball past Sommer to make it 4-0 in the 55th.
Switzerland softened the blow just before the hour mark when defender Manuel Akanji sneaked in unmarked at the far post from a corner to slip a shot home after Portugal failed to clear.
But a vibrant Portugal attack roared back when Ramos was set through on goal by Felix and just when it looked like he had lost the ball with a heavy touch, the forward chipped it over the onrushing Sommer to complete a well-deserved hat-trick.
Substitute Rafael Leao then put the icing on the cake in second-half added time with a curling effort into the far corner as the stranded Sommer's shoulders sank while he watched the ball sail past him into the back of the net.
(With inputs from agencies)