Portugal manager Fernando Santos stated that he feels no regrets over excluding Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting lineup in Portugal’s World Cup quarterfinal loss to Morocco on Saturday night. Ronaldo only came on in the 51st minute of the 1-0 defeat in place of central midfielder Rúben Neves.
Following the defeat, Santos was questioned about his decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench, as he did in Portugal’s 6-1 triumph over Switzerland in the Round of 16. “I don’t think so, no regrets,” Santos replied.
“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,” Santos continued.
The Portugal boss added that both he and Ronaldo feel emotional about the result, however, this is just a natural part of the game. He went on to express uncertainty over his future as Portugal’s coach. When asked whether he would like to stay on in his role, Santos stated that he would have to have a discussion with the president of the Portuguese Football Association once he is back in Portugal in order to discuss his contract.
