Bruno Fernandes suggested Cristiano Ronaldo had been angry with Fernando Santos' decision to bench the Portugal captain, while he believes the veteran forward also would have thrived in the 6-1 win over Switzerland.
Ronaldo came out of the Portugal XI following a moment of controversy in the side's previous match against South Korea, when he appeared to insult Santos after being substituted.
Santos "really didn't like it at all" but insisted the matter had been "resolved" before naming Ronaldo among the substitutes against Switzerland in the last 16 of the World Cup.
Goncalo Ramos, drafted in to replace Ronaldo, scored a hat-trick in a stunning display at Lusail Stadium, while the Portugal skipper failed to net as a second-half substitute – though he did see an effort rightly ruled out for offside,
Asked of Ronaldo's reaction following Santos' decision, Fernandes said: "It was like everyone else. Do you think anyone likes to be on the bench?
"Jose Sa – he didn't play one minute, he knows that he's the third goalkeeper, but he's not happy to be on the bench.
"Do you think Cristiano would be happy? If the manager in the next game put me on the bench, I would be angry."
But Fernandes bristled at the idea Portugal had won specifically because Ronaldo had come out of the team.
"We won the first two games with Cristiano in the first XI," the midfielder said. "If Cristiano had played, he could have scored three goals and nobody would be talking about Cristiano on the bench.
"Cristiano is doing his job, he's doing his part, and he's happy with the result, because the goal for everyone is to go as far as possible.
"I don't think people should be talking about the situation with Cristiano and why he's playing, why he's not playing.
"When Cristiano plays and the team wins, nobody talks about that. When Cristiano plays and the team loses, everyone talks about that."
Even as Portugal scored goal after goal in the second half, the crowd in Lusail chanted Ronaldo's name and jeered as they waited for his introduction.
Fernandes added: "Cristiano is the most famous player in the world, of all time. No-one is more famous than Cristiano in sports. Not in football, in sports.
"It's normal that people come to see Cristiano, cheering him and everything. I don't see any surprise in that. I don't know why anyone is surprised by that.
"Cristiano is Cristiano. It's normal that people are cheering him, even if he's on the bench and not playing. It's a simple thing."
Cristiano Ronaldo risks bringing his career to an unsavoury end after displaying a petulant attitude in recent months, according to his former Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville.
Ronaldo was dropped by Portugal ahead of their World Cup last-16 tie with Switzerland on Tuesday, having irritated coach Fernando Santos with his reaction to being substituted in a group-stage defeat to South Korea.
Portugal did not suffer for the striker's absence as his replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a brilliant hat-trick in a 6-1 rout of the Swiss, teeing up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco.
Ronaldo has courted controversy on several occasions this season, with his turbulent second spell at United being ended by mutual consent last month after he said the club had "betrayed" him in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
Speaking to ITV ahead of Portugal's game on Tuesday, Neville showed little sympathy for Ronaldo's situation, saying he must accept the end of his career is approaching.
"This is a manager who has had an unbelievable relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo for eight years," Neville said.
"There are a lot of fans of Cristiano Ronaldo who aren't willing to tell him the truth and I think he does need to listen to the truth.
"It's becoming a little bit of a scruffy end. The petulance, the stomping around, the sulking… it's got to stop because it doesn't reflect well on him at all.
"His long-term legacy is set, he's protected, he's one of the all-time great players, but in the short term, he's got to do a lot better because… is the Juventus manager wrong? Is the Manchester United manager wrong? And now is the Portugal manager wrong? There's three of them that now have done the same thing with him.
"You're leaving the game early like you did at United twice, stomping off the other day [against South Korea]. It's coming to that point where he's not accepting the end of his career very well."
Ronaldo – who has been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Professional League outfit Al Nassr in recent days – was introduced as a 73rd-minute substitute with Portugal already 5-1 up.
While Neville believes Ronaldo's drive to be the best served him well in the past, he says the five-time Ballon d'Or winner must now accept a more limited role.
"His single mindedness has been one of his greatest strengths over the last 10 or 15 years," Neville added.
"His determination to become one of the best in the world, to score the most goals, to break all the records, that fight with [Lionel] Messi.
"But there comes a point where you still have to think about the collective and that's your team-mates in the dressing room."
Cristiano Ronaldo's benching was fully vindicated as his replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick to guide Portugal into the World Cup quarter-finals courtesy of a 6-1 demolition of Switzerland.
Fernando Santos had been angered by Ronaldo's attitude after being substituted in their defeat to South Korea and the veteran coach took the opportunity to bench the out-of-form 37-year-old on Tuesday.
It took Ramos 17 minutes to do what Ronaldo has never done for Portugal: score in a World Cup knockout game, and he would ultimately have a hand in four goals.
Pepe, captain in Ronaldo's absence, got Portugal's second and Ramos also teed up Raphael Guerreiro, with Manuel Akanji's consolation for Switzerland prior to Ramos' hat-trick goal and Rafael Leao's late stunner a mere footnote.
Ramos' opener was entirely out of keeping with a dull opening.
Joao Felix passed into the left side of the area and, after taking a touch, Ramos sent a bullet of a left-footed strike into the top-left corner from a tight angle.
A fingertip Diogo Costa save from Xherdan Shaqiri's free-kick just before the half-hour kept Portugal in front and they capitalised three minutes later as Pepe headed home Bruno Fernandes' corner.
Any hope of a turnaround was swiftly put down by two goals early in the second half.
Ramos first turned in Diogo Dalot's low cross before the striker unselfishly teed up Guerreiro.
Akanji knocked in at the back post after a Portugal defender inadvertently flicked on a corner, but the deficit was four again soon after – Ramos' impudent dink over Yann Sommer completing a memorable treble.
He was later brought off as Ronaldo – who had a late goal disallowed for offside – entered, but Portugal were not done yet, with Leao burying a gorgeous curler in stoppage time.
Ferran Torres rued the "external factors" that he felt cost Spain in their shock penalty shoot-out defeat to Morocco in the last 16 of the World Cup.
La Roja crashed out in the round of 16 for the second successive finals, as Yassine Bounou produced a heroic display with Morocco triumphing 3-0 on penalties after a goalless draw.
Luis Enrique's men dominated proceedings, enjoying over 77 per cent of possession over the 120 minutes, but were subsequently made to pay for not converting that superiority after creating just one shot on target, with Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all off target in the shoot-out.
Spain consequently became the first nation to lose four World Cup penalty shoot-outs, but Torres insists he and his team-mates could not have done more.
"We gave everything from minute one to 120," he said. "We have not been successful in front of goal. It was difficult, they locked themselves in, they have played that way, and the chances we had were not clear at all.
"We have frustration, because we have been superior, we have not been able to materialise the opportunities we have had, and there have been external factors that have not helped us.
"We had been practising the penalties because we knew they were games of 120 [minutes] plus penalties. But we continue working for the future."
Marcos Llorente concurred "it was very complicated" to create opportunities to break down a resolute Morocco, who became the fourth African nation to reach the quarter-finals after Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010).
Rodri added: "We haven't been right on penalties, and we're going home. I don't know what else to say, I wish someone up there had helped us with penalties. The team has given everything, and we deserved to pass."
Walid Regragui believes the diversity within Morocco's squad has created the perfect blend after the Atlas Lions made the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.
Morocco beat Spain 3-0 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Education City Stadium on Tuesday.
That sent La Roja out in the last 16 for the second successive World Cup and confirmed Africa has a representative in the quarter-finals for the first time since Ghana in 2010.
Yassine Bounou, who was born in Canada, and Achraf Hakimi, who was raised in Madrid, were the penalty shoot-out heroes, with the goalkeeper saving two of Spain's spot-kicks before the Paris Saint-Germain full-back chipped home the winner.
For Regragui, it is evidence that Morocco can call on players of Moroccan heritage whether or not they were born within the country.
"I fought this a lot of times," he said in his post-match press conference.
"Before this World Cup we had a lot of problems about guys born in Morocco and Europe. Sometimes people, including some journalists in this room, said these guys don't love Morocco, why not play with the guys born in Morocco?
"We showed to the world that every Moroccan is Moroccan, when he comes with the national team he wants to die, wants to fight.
"I was born in France but nobody can take my heart from my country. My players give 100 per cent. Some players born in Germany, some in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France and every country has a football culture. You make this milkshake with that and get to the quarter-finals."
Regragui is the first African coach to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, but he does not pay heed to such statistics.
"I don't care. I fight that," he added. "Sometimes people say Portuguese coaches or Spanish coaches are the best.
"It's about competence, not if you're Arabic or African.
"I'm ambitious and that's what I give to my players. Maybe when I'm an old man I'll be happy about that. But I'm proud for my country. It shows you can have a Moroccan coach and do it, you just need confidence."
Having beaten Belgium and topped a group that also included 2018 runners-up Croatia, Morocco are the surprise package in Qatar.
One of the major changes Regragui has made from the previous regime, that of Vahid Halilhodzic, is the recall of Hakim Ziyech.
The Chelsea playmaker was ostracised by Halilhodzic but returned to international football for Regragui, who explained: "What he's doing is tremendous but the Moroccan people wanted to see him and were encouraging him and he responded to that.
"We need to give him responsibility and he needs to be loved. It's like Neymar for Brazil, [Kylian] Mbappe for France – you can't just see him as another player, he's your best player.
"Some coaches say all players should be treated equally but it's not the case. Hakim is not just another player, I show him love and respect because it's what he deserves. Like Achraf [Hakimi], the other players as well. They've shown they are prepared to give everything for the national team when they play."
Spain coach Luis Enrique stood by his players, and his philosophy, following their World Cup exit at the hands of Morocco on Tuesday.
It means since winning the title in 2010, Spain have failed to advance beyond the round of 16 stage in three attempts.
Spain racked up 1019 passes over 120 minutes of domination but a glaring lack of cutting edge stunted their attempts to find a goal with the game going to a penalty shoot-out in which Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all missed.
Luis Enrique insisted he was happy with the way his team played and stood by his style of football.
"We dominated but lacked a goal," he said. "We created chances, we were progressive but we met an opponent who performed to a high level.
"We could've created more and been more efficient but I was happy with my team. They represent me and represent my style and I can only praise them.
"I am very happy with the profile of the players I have in my squad, I would not change them, I would go with them till the end.
"If anyone is responsible it's me. This is sport, there is no point in punishing ourselves."
Luis Enrique also had words of praise for Sarabia, Soler and Busquets for having the courage to take a spot-kick in front of an intimidating pro-Morocco support at Education City Stadium.
He added: "We created enough chances to win the match but the end [the shoot-out] was not a lottery.
"You have to control yourself and be brave in managing that. I would select the same players to do it. Sarabia, Soler and Busquets were great, they missed, no problem, it's part of the sport."
Luis Enrique was gracious in defeat, praising Morocco's overall performance, but reserved special words for goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who plays his club football for Sevilla.
Bounou saved the efforts of Soler and Busquets while Sarabia hit the post having gone first, leaving Madrid-born Achraf Hakimi to win it for Morocco to put them into the quarter-finals for the first time.
"Bounou was the man of the match and he's a top goalkeeper," added the former Barcelona boss.
"He's a great person as I know first hand. He was decisive in the shoot-out and deserved to be the man of the match."
Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons could be back on court on Friday after missing recent games with knee and calf issues.
Simmons exited the win over the Orlando Magic last week due to left knee soreness, while it later emerged he was also dealing with a left lateral upper calf strain.
Speaking after training on Tuesday, the Australian gave a positive update, suggesting that while he will remain out for Wednesday's clash with the Charlotte Hornets, he is aiming to be back for the Nets' game with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
"I'm excited where I'm at right now," Simmons said. "So I'm looking for Friday to get back on the court.
"It's a lot of load for coming back from a back injury and then also the knee, so I'm glad I had this time to build some muscle around it, and we'll work on it."
Simmons, who is averaging 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists this season, has already missed games against the Washington Wizards, the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics.
Having missed a lot of basketball in recent times, the 26-year-old suggested he might have the manage his time on the court.
"I think we're definitely going to look at it a lot different," he added. "I don't know if it's measuring minutes, maybe not back-to-backs, whatever it is. I think that's going to be a joint thing with the training staff and myself, and letting them know how I'm feeling."
Sergio Busquets says now is not the time to discuss his international future after Spain crashed out of the World Cup in "the most cruel way" with a defeat to Morocco on penalties.
La Roja lost the shoot-out 3-0 at Education City Stadium following a goalless round-of-16 encounter on Tuesday, with the Atlas Lions reaching the last eight for the first time.
Spain captain Busquets, Pablo Sarabia and Carlos Soler were unable to find the back of the net from 12 yards out, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou producing heroics for Morocco.
To add insult to injury, it was the Madrid-born Achraf Hakimi who scored the winning spot-kick.
Luis Enrique's side dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge, with Sarabia hitting the post right at the end of extra-time.
At the age of 34, it has been suggested Busquets could call time on his Spain career, but the Barcelona midfielder will not rush into a decision following a stunning exit in Doha.
He told La1: "Now the important thing is the team and not me, it's a difficult night and we will have to get up and use this experience, there are very young people who will be very useful and we must continue."
Busquets felt Spain were unfortunate to miss out on a place in the quarter-finals.
"It was a shame, it was decided on penalties in the most cruel way. It was complicated, we tried to wear them down, turn them around, find spaces. We lacked luck from the last pass." he said.
Goalkeeper Unai Simon also felt Spain deserved to go through.
He said: "I think that in the 120 minutes of the game we have been superior, but what I say now is of little value if we don't score.
"In the penalty shoot-out they have been superior and that is what has made them reach the quarter-finals
"We are seeing that there are surprises throughout the World Cup, we have not been able to overcome it and we did not expect to be eliminated against Morocco, but it is the reality and we have to go home."
The best of the East against the best of the West.
No, this is not the NBA Finals yet, though it very well could be at the end of the season as the Boston Celtics head to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
The Celtics have responded to losing last year's Finals to the Golden State Warriors in impressive fashion, made all the more notable given the situation around suspended head coach Ime Udoka.
With star performers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown firing on all cylinders, the Celtics have raced out to win 20 of their first 25 (80.0 win percentage) games this season, topping the Eastern Conference by some distance (ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks with 73.9 per cent).
It has been quite the run since early November, with Boston on a record of 16-2 since their overtime defeat to the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
The Suns arguably had an even more anti-climactic end to their last campaign.
Phoenix ended the regular season with a fantastic record of 64-18, comfortably the best in the league, but were eliminated in the Western Conference semi-finals against the Dallas Mavericks, losing 4-3.
Like the Celtics, though, the Suns have mostly picked up where they left off this year, sitting on a record of 16-8 to narrowly top the West.
Monty Williams will be hoping his team can get back to their best after losing two of their last three games, with their last outing seeing them haunted by Luka Doncic and the Mavs again, but on Wednesday all they will have to deal with is the form team in the league, including Tatum and Brown.
Perhaps that defeat in Dallas will focus minds, but the Celtics will be looking to further cement their credentials.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Phoenix Suns - Deandre Ayton
Devin Booker may be the main point-getter for the Suns, recently scoring a total of 136 points across three games, but Deandre Ayton's importance in the big games can never be underestimated.
The Bahamian is actually slightly down on his usual rebound average, but his 9.6 per game is still comfortably the best on the Phoenix roster and will be crucial against a team as potent as Boston.
Booker struggled last time out against the Mavs, while Ayton top-scored for his team with 20 points, along with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Boston Celtics - Jayson Tatum
Tatum has been an absolute force of nature so far this season, averaging 30.8 points per game from his 24 appearances, the fourth-best in the league behind only Doncic (33.4), Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.9) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.3).
The 24-year-old has scored 29 or more points in six of his last seven games, while also averaging the most rebounds (8.3) and assists (4.2) for his team this season.
KEY BATTLE - Suns must halt the points at the source
If it were as easy as stopping the opposition from shooting, you would have basketball sussed.
That is basically what Williams' must encourage his team to try though, with only one team having a better field-goal percentage than the Celtics' 49.4 this season (Denver Nuggets, 50.0 per cent).
Perhaps more concerning will be from range, with Boston boasting the best three-point success so far, sinking 40.2 per cent of their attempts from beyond the arc. Either prevent shots or at the very least, do not allow the likes of Tatum and Brown to shoot the ball without pressure.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This has been a tremendously even battle in recent seasons, with Boston and Phoenix clashing twice in each of the last four campaigns.
In every single season, they have both won one each, with the Celtics winning their last meeting at TD Garden 123-108 on December 31 last year.
Luis Enrique believes it is "not the right time" to discuss his future after Spain slumped to a shock World Cup exit against Morocco, saying he could yet stay on as La Roja's head coach.
Spain arrived in Qatar as one of the tournament favourites, but La Roja suffered a second consecutive last-16 elimination via a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw at Education City Stadium.
Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all failed to convert as Morocco ran out 3-0 winners in the shoot-out, with the latter duo seeing their efforts saved by Yassine Bounou.
Spain have now lost four of their five penalty shoot-outs at the World Cup, more than any other side in the history of the tournament, with their latest loss throwing the future of Luis Enrique – whose contract is set to expire after the competition – into doubt.
However, the former Barcelona boss says he will take time to consider his future, adding he is happy with the support he has received from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Asked whether he would stay on after the game, he responded: "I cannot tell you, I don't know this decision. This is not the right time to discuss my future, it's not relevant.
"My contract is going to end, but I am very happy with the national team, with the federation, and I have always had great support from [Jose Francisco] Molina, who is the sporting director.
"I could always carry on. I need to have peace of mind to decide what's best for me and the team."
Luis Enrique initially led Spain from July 2018 to June 2019 before stepping aside for "family reasons" that were later confirmed to relate to his young daughter suffering with cancer. She died in August 2019.
He returned to the role that November, leading Spain to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 and to the 2020-21 Nations League final, where they were beaten by France.
Spain's failure to score a single penalty in Tuesday's shoot-out made them just the second team to do so in World Cup history, after Switzerland against Ukraine in 2006.
Andrew Robertson has found the World Cup a massive turn-off after Scotland's failure to qualify, as the Liverpool star admitted the tournament "bites away" at him.
The Scotland captain revealed he bonded with David Alaba of Real Madrid when they recently met by chance on holiday, with neither man on duty in Qatar while club-mates battle for glory.
Alaba missed out with Austria after a defeat to Wales in the first round of the UEFA play-offs, with Scotland going the same way after losing to Ukraine.
Robertson said having the World Cup happening in recent weeks had been "difficult", given his role as captain of his country, and initially he had "not really watched it".
He said he only wished the best for his Liverpool team-mates still in with a chance of reaching the December 18 final, and has begun watching games in the last few days.
"For Scotland it's obviously difficult," Robertson added. "We think we should've been there, but we didn't perform the way we did in the play-off, which was disappointing from our point of view, and we have to deal with that."
At the age of 28, Robertson knows time is finite when it comes to his chances of ever gracing the World Cup stage.
He has won almost all there is to win at club level with Liverpool, but success in international football will be difficult to come about. Scotland are ranked 40th by FIFA, so should at least stand a better chance of reaching the 2026 World Cup, when the tournament is expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
"When I went on holiday I actually bumped into David Alaba and he's in a similar boat obviously playing with Austria," Robertson told Liverpool's official website.
Like Robertson, Alaba skippers his national team. They next time both men meet will be in the Champions League last-16 tie between their respective teams.
"He said he'd been to a couple of Euros, but never been to a World Cup," Robertson said. "We were both kind of talking that we were getting on a bit, so the chances are running out for us to qualify."
Robertson sees the World Cup as "a massive, massive thing" that he wants to experience. Scotland made it through to the Euro 2020 finals, but their last World Cup trip was to France 98, when Robertson was four years old.
"The World Cup is the one that bites away at me," said the left-back. "I'll definitely have one more shot at it – maybe two, let's see. It is something you want to achieve and something you want to be part of, and in the future that's definitely a target of mine."
Liverpool's sketchy start to the Premier League season means they have ground to make up when the campaign resumes for the Reds on December 26, with a trip to Aston Villa.
Just six wins from 14 games have left Liverpool sixth in the table, albeit going into the World Cup break on a high after successive victories against Tottenham and Southampton.
Robertson said: "We've not got any time to waste, the start of the season hasn't been what we wanted. It's been nowhere near the standards that the fans have been used to for us, so it's important when we come back we try to hit the ground running because that’s all we can do."
There was a boost for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp when winger Luis Diaz returned to training at the club's camp in Dubai on Tuesday, with the Colombian fit again after recovering from a knee injury.
The Tennessee Titans have fired general manager Jon Robinson, the franchise confirmed on Tuesday.
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk informed Robinson he was relieved of his duties following a 35-10 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Although 7-5 Tennessee are top of the AFC South, they have suffered back-to-back defeats and the division stands as the weakest in the NFL – with none of the four sides currently on a winning streak.
Vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden will take the reigns for the remainder of the season, with a "comprehensive search" beginning once the campaign is complete.
Adams Strunk said in a statement: "Since becoming controlling owner in 2015, my goal has been to raise the standard for what is expected in all facets of our organisation.
"I believe we have made significant progress both on and off the field through investments in leadership, personnel and new ideas.
"This progress includes the core of our business, the football team itself, which is regularly evaluated both by results (wins and losses) and team construction/roster building.
"I am proud of what we have accomplished in my eight seasons of ownership, but I believe there is more to be done and higher aspirations to be met."
The Titans host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14, with three of their remaining five games taking place in Tennessee.
Arsenal and Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus has undergone successful knee surgery.
Jesus was ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup after sustaining an injury to his right knee during the Selecao's Group G clash with Cameroon.
Head coach Tite died reports that Jesus was already carrying an issue prior to featuring for the five-time world champions in Qatar.
According to unconfirmed reports in Brazil, Jesus will be absent for three months.
Premier League leaders Arsenal on Tuesday confirmed he has started his rehabilitation programme.
The 25-year-old has played a key role in the Gunners' impressive start to the Premier League season, which sees them five points clear at the summit after 14 games.
Jesus' tally of five goals is only bettered for Arsenal by Martin Odegaard (six), while only Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (nine) and team-mate Bukayo Saka (six) have registered more assists in the English top flight than his five.
Spain's bid to reach their first World Cup quarter-final since 2010 ended in frustration and failure on Tuesday as they missed all of their spot-kicks in a penalty-shoot out defeat to Morocco.
After 120 minutes of goalless domination, in which they racked up 1019 passes, Luis Enrique's side capitulated in the shoot-out with Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all missing, the latter two efforts saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
It left Madrid-born Achraf Hakimi with the chance to win it which he did with a Panenka to send Morocco through to the last eight for the first time.
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