Rajendra Prasad Mohapatra

Portugal coach Fernando Santos said that he has no regrets about not starting with Cristiano Ronaldo despite their FIFA World Cup exit after shocking defeat against Morocco in the quarter finals on Saturday.

Ronaldo was reinstated off the bench in the 51st minute of the game when Portugal were down 1-0. However, the 37-year-old couldn’t inspire a fight-back as Morocco became the first African side ever to reach a semifinal in the history of the mega event.

“I don’t think so, no regrets. I think this was a team which played very well against Switzerland. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player, he came in when we thought it was necessary, so no regrets,” said Santos during an interview.

“If we take two persons that were the most upset, it is Ronaldo and myself. Of course we are upset, but that is part of the job of the coach and the player,” he added.

Santos had also named Ronaldo, who was seen leaving the field in tears at the end of the match, as a substitute for their 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16. As per Santos, the result was enough to convince him to keep the same team for the quarterfinal.
 

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