12 December,2022 09:12 AM IST | Doha | Ashwin Ferro
Fernando Santos; (right) Cristiano Ronaldo wears a dejected look after Portugal’s defeat to Morocco in Doha on Saturday. Pic/AFP
The Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup journey is over. And there are no regrets, at least for his coach Fernando Santos.
Ronaldo was once again kept on the bench for the quarter-final against Morocco at the Al Thumama
Stadium on Saturday and left the pitch in tears immediately after the final whistle confirmed their 1-0 defeat and ouster from the quadrennial showpiece.
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However, coach Santos insisted he had no regrets about leaving the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on the bench for a second straight time (the first being in the Round-of-16 match against Switzerland).
"All our players are disappointed, but if we take two persons who are most upset, it is Cristiano and myself. It affects us but that's part of the game as coach and player," said Santos at the post-match press conference when asked about Ronaldo's teary exit.
"But I don't think it [leaving Ronaldo on the bench] had any impact on the game today. Our team did well against Switzerland [winning 6-1]. Cristiano is a great player and he came in when we thought it was necessary, so no regrets," added Santos.
Ronaldo joined Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa as the most capped player ever when he stepped on to the Al Thumama pitch in the 51st minute for his 196th international appearance.
