Cristiano Ronaldo: Did Portugal star walk straight off pitch after Switzerland game? | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of walking straight off the pitch after the World Cup clash between Portugal and Switzerland on Tuesday evening.

The 37-year-old started all three of Portugal’s group games in Qatar.

But Fernando Santos decided to drop him to the bench for their last 16 clash with Switzerland.

His replacement, Goncalo Ramos, was in unstoppable form as Portugal romped to a 6-1 victory.

The Benfica striker bagged the first hat-trick of the tournament as he enjoyed an outstanding evening at Lusail Stadium.

Pepe, Raphaël Guerreiro and Rafael Leao also got themselves on the scoresheet.

Ronaldo accused of walking straight off pitch after Switzerland game

There was an incredible roar from the crowd when Ronaldo entered the fray in the 73rd minute.

The 37-year-old played the final 17 minutes of the match as Portugal cruised to the quarter-finals.

Adriano Del Monte, TV Presenter & Event Host, was present for the match in Qatar.

Del Monte was watching Ronaldo closely at full-time and claimed Ronaldo walking straight off the pitch following the final whistle.

He posted footage on social media and you can view it below…

The footage picked up a lot of attention on social media, with multiple outlets covering the video.

But further footage shows Del Monte’s claim is not true.

Another video has emerged showing Ronaldo walking over to the fans and showing his appreciation for a number of seconds.

He then begins to walk to the tunnel. His teammates then show their appreciation to the fans.

Why did Fernando Santos drop Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal vs Switzerland?

Santos spoke about his decision to drop Ronaldo following their triumph in the last 16.

He said, per Goal: “They [Ramos and Ronaldo] are different players. It was game strategy, all the players are different, I also launched Dalot, Raphael, however Cancelo is also a fabulous player. It was what I thought that we would need for this match against Switzerland.

He added: “There is no problem between Fernando Santos and the captain of the national team (Ronaldo), we’ve been friends for many years. Players make decisions. Things don’t affect us. I already explained, that part was completely resolved and he set a great example of a great captain.”

Ronaldo and Portugal will face Morocco in the quarter-finals, with the game set to be played on Saturday December 10 at 3pm GMT.