Portugal were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup 2022 with a 1-0 defeat to Morocco – following a sensational 6-1 victory over European rivals Switzerland in the last 16.
That round-of-16 game was a bold statement from Fernando Santos' team, who entered the tournament with huge question marks hanging over them. As ever, it was the nation's talismanic leader Cristiano Ronaldo at the centre of the storm. Following an explosive interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, in which Ronaldo complained about his treatment at club-side Manchester United, rumours swirled over the negative impact this might have had on the Portugal squad in Qatar.
Reports claimed Ronaldo had fallen out with club-mate Bruno Fernandes and Man City star Joao Cancelo in training, only for the man himself to rubbish these claims. Ronaldo was then sacked by United, creating a second wave of publicity as things got underway at the World Cup.
Yet results have contradicted any murmurings of discontent. Ghana and Uruguay were dispatched in the group stage – albeit before a shock defeat to South Korea in the final first-round fixture – before the Switzerland drubbing.
The latter did see Ronaldo dropped from the starting line-up, however, after some histrionics following his substitution during the Korea clash. Santos has been accused of being too soft on Ronaldo in the past, though his hardline decision to dump the team captain paid off.
Ronaldo was overlooked for the quarter-final clash with Morocco too, but entered the field in the second-half with his side trailing. He was unable to make a difference, though, as Morocco's defence held firm for a 1-0 win.
Portugal World Cup 2022 squad
Portugal World Cup 2022 squad
- GK: Diogo Costa (Porto)
- GK: Rui Patrício (Roma)
- GK: Jose Sa (Wolves)
- DF: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
- DF: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)
- DF: Nuno Mendes (PSG)
- DF: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
- DF: Antonio Silva (Benfica)
- DF: Pepe (Porto)
- DF: Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)
- DF: Danilo Pereira (PSG)
- MF: Joao Palhinha (Fulham)
- MF: Matheus Nunes (Wolves)
- MF: William Carvalho (Real Betis)
- MF: Ruben Neves (Wolves)
- MF: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
- MF: Joao Mario (Benfica)
- MF: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
- MF: Vitinha (PSG)
- MF: Otavio (Porto)
- FW: Joao Felix (Atlético Madrid)
- FW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
- FW: Goncalo Ramos (Benfica)
- FW: Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
- FW: Ricardo Horta (Braga)
- FW: Andre Silva (RB Leipzig)
Portugal results
Group stage:
Portugal 3-2 Ghana
Portugal 2-0 Uruguay
South Korea 2-1 Portugal
Last-16:
Portugal 6-1 Switzerland
Quarter-final:
Morocco 1-0 Portugal
Portugal top scorers
3 goals: Goncalo Ramos
2 goals: Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao
1 goal: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro
Portugal yellow cards
All World Cup 2022 yellow cards were wiped after the last 16, so Portugal currently have no players suspended.
Portugal's manager
Who is the Portugal manager for the World Cup?
If Fernando Santos’ face could accommodate any more wrinkles, a few dozen extra would have been added during a difficult qualification campaign that saw Portugal make a mess of a fairly straightforward group. Fans and the press have called for a change, but the 68-year-old retains the full support of the players and the FA.
Portugal's star player
Who is Portugal's star player for the World Cup?
Bernardo Silva. He is almost unique in combining piercing on-field intelligence, supreme technical ability, astonishing vision and unstinting industry. No wonder the 28-year-old, blessed with a left foot as good as any in history, is regularly the object of high praise from Pep Guardiola and was courted by Barcelona this summer.
How many players are Portugal allowed to take to the 2022 World Cup?
National managers were allowed to bring 26 players to last summer’s European Championship for the first time at a major tournament, as a special measure brought in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now it has been announced that 26-player squads will return for the Qatar World Cup, an expansion from the usual 23-man teams.
