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via Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo was again at the center of the news during the final group game against South Korea. The reason was his reaction when he was substituted in the 65th minute. Although it appeared that he was aiming at the Korean player, Fernando Santos has shed a light on the incident in the press conference.

Portugal lost to South Korea in the final group game to a last-gasp winner from the Korean team. Although Portugal was already in the knockout stages before the game, the win was immense for the Korean team. With the victory over Portugal, S. Korea qualified for the knockouts ahead of Uruguay.

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Fernando Santos on Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction after taking him off

Ronaldo was angry when Santos withdrew him in the 65th minute. Fernando Santos, the Portuguese coach, after the match, said the reaction of Ronaldo was not for him. The Korean striker was the one who was urging him to leave the field quickly. Ronaldo put a finger on the lips to ask the Korean player to shut up.

via Reuters

Meanwhile, during his press conference on Tuesday, Santos claimed that Ronaldo’s reaction did not impress him. It was not the first time a coach showed his displeasure at Ronaldo’s reaction to taking him off. Santos said, “Have I seen the images? Yes, I didn’t like it, not at all. I didn’t like it. I really didn’t like it. But from that moment onwards everything is finished regarding that issue. I resolved these matters behind closed doors. It’s resolved. Full stop on this matter and now everyone is focused on tomorrow’s match.”

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Santos was talking to the press before the round of 16 game against Switzerland. He didn’t give any idea of what the line-up would be for the game. Defender Ruben Dias accompanied the coach for the press conference. Press asked Santos to speak about Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia. The coach didn’t give any detail, saying it was his decision, and the squad was preparing for the game against Switzerland.

Cristiano Ronaldo on the incident after the match

Ronaldo, when withdrawn in the 65th minute, was angry. He put his index finger on the lips for the shut-up gesture. The player was quick to point out that the reaction was for the Korean striker who told him to leave the field quickly. Ronaldo felt that the opposition player didn’t have the authority to tell him to leave quickly, which drew an angry reaction from him.

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From being dropped for the Premier League game, an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, mutually ending the contract with Manchester United to the angry reactions, Ronaldo is at the center of the news. Also, the blockbuster contract offer from Saudi Arabia is making the news.

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Watch This Story: Clubs That Almost Signed Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal will take on Switzerland tonight for a place in the quarter-finals. If they win, they will face the winner between the game Spain and Morocco. Rush in your predictions for both games. Also, let us know how far can Portugal go in the FIFA World Cup.

Written by

Nikhil Nibe

900Articles

One take at a time

Nikhil is a Soccer writer at EssentiallySports. He is a pharmaceutics graduate holding a PG degree in management with marketing as a specialization. A sales professional since 2011, he decided to change the course of his career into a sports writer to follow his passion for Soccer.
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Edited by

Sreeda U M