Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t escape the spotlight after being benched for Portugal’s 6-1 win against Switzerland.
Ronaldo was left out of Portugal’s starting line-up for the first time in years, with Goncalo Ramos selected up front at his expense.
Ronaldo, 37, is the only man to score at five World Cups, but he angered Portugal coach Fernando Santos with his reaction to being substituted in the last group game.
So the biggest name in world football was forced to don a yellow vest and walk to the dug-out before the game.
As the anthems played, it presented the photographers gathered to shoot the match with a conundrum — focus on the players on the field or the name on everyone’s lips?
This photograph told the story.
They also kept their cameras focused higher up in the stands as Ronaldo’s model girlfriend Georgina Rodriquez arrived to take in the action.
But she would have been wondering why she bothered to turn up as her beau sat rooted to the bench for most of the match.
She didn’t look particularly impressed either.
It took 17 minutes for Santos’ brave decision to be vindicated as Ramos opened the scoring with a powerful left-footed finish.
Ramos, the 21-year-old rising star, announced himself to the world with a thunderbolt strike where he blasted past the goalkeeper at the near post from an impossible wide angle.
Portugal’s second goal was quite different but just as impressive as Pepe rose to meet a Bruno Fernandes corner and thumped his header into the net.
It too brought a thrilled reaction from Ronaldo on the bench.
It was 2-0 at halftime but the goals kept coming in the second half as Portugal booked in a quarterfinal against Morocco.
Ramos turned in his second from close range six minutes into the second half from Dalot’s cross down the right.
He then turned provider by playing in Guerreiro to lash in another just four minutes later as the Swiss defence was ruthlessly ripped apart.
It was also Ramos who inadvertently glanced a corner towards Manuel Akanji at the far post as the Manchester City centre-back pulled one back for Switzerland.
Ramos completed his treble after more outstanding work from Felix, nonchalantly dinking over Sommer with one of his final touches before making way for Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s introduced elicited the biggest roar of the night. Ronaldo did have the ball in the back of the net but it was ruled out for a clear offside.
Leao capped off a sensational Portugal performance with a terrific curling strike in stoppage time.
But after playing the happy teammate for 90 minutes, Ronaldo appeared to snap after the final whistle.
He left the pitch alone while the rest of his teammates gathered to acknowledge the Portugal fans in the clearest sign he was unhappy at his relegation.
