Portugal star, Goncalo Ramos, has disclosed the specifics of his halftime conversation with legendary attacker, Cristiano Ronaldo during their FIFA World Cup encounter against Croatia.
The Seleçao secured their advancement to the Round of 16 following a hard-fought 2-1 victory, with Ramos scoring a decisive late goal.
After the match, Ramos spoke to reporters, sharing that Ronaldo had approached him, emphasizing the necessity of his assistance for the team.
He recounted telling the Al-Nassr forward during the halftime interval not to worry, as he would score if he were to come on.
“Ronaldo told me I was going to help. And I told him at halftime not to worry, that if I came on, I was going to score”, he said (via O Jogo).
Portugal’s coach, Roberto Martinez, started the match with his usual formation, including Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting lineup and Ramos as a substitute on the bench.
This arrangement was maintained for 62 minutes before the coach brought on the new AC Milan player for Joao Cancelo.
Martinez’s team was behind when he made the substitution shortly after the hour mark, and they successfully reversed their fortunes following the changes.
His choice to have both Ramos and Ronaldo on the field for a period proved to be highly beneficial for the team.
Martinez decided against keeping both of his strikers on the field for a long period, substituting Ronaldo in the 81st minute.
Ultimately, Ramos secured the match-winning goal in stoppage time, propelling his nation into a match against Spain.