The Portugal coach, Fernando Santos, clarified, this Friday, the controversy in relation to the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in the 65th minute of the match that ended with the defeat of the team against South Korea by 2-1. For the Portuguese coach, “there is no doubt” that the Portuguese number seven “responded to a Korean player” who repeatedly asked him to leave the game.
“The South Korean player was aggressive in the conversation, he told Cristiano [Ronaldo] go out and go out and he replied ‘you have to be in a hurry for me to leave'”, said Fernando Santos, at the press conference after the third day of Group H.
Asked if the Portuguese captain understood why he had to leave, the national coach said: “Of course he understood, why shouldn’t he?”
This Friday, Portugal won Group H of the 2022 World Cup in Russia, despite losing 2-1 to South Korea, led by Paulo Bento, who qualified for the ‘eighth’, eliminating Uruguay and Ghana.
The Portuguese team, which had already qualified, took the lead in the fifth minute, through Ricardo Horta, but, in the 27th minute, Kim Young-Won equalized, after an involuntary assist from Cristiano Ronaldo, and, in the 90th minute +1, Hwang Hee-chan sealed the turn.
The South Koreans thus jumped to second place, taking advantage of Uruguay’s 2-0 win over Ghana, sealed by a ‘double’ by Giorgian De Arrascaeta, in minutes 26 and 32.
In qualifying, Portugal had six points, against four from South Korea and Uruguay, with the advantage of the Asians in goals scored (4-4 against 2-2), and three from Ghana.
Source: TSF
