WC: Portugal defeats hapless Swiss

With Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, the superstar striker’s replacement scored a hat trick to lead Portugal over Switzerland 6-1 and into the World Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday. Goncalo Ramos, a 21-year-old forward who only made his Portugal debut last month, made his first start for his country and demonstrated the kind of clinical finishing Ronaldo was once known for. Portugal maintained momentum after the break, scoring two brilliant goals between the 51st and 55th minutes, Ramos and Raphael Guerreiro scoring them. Switzerland did get one back shortly afterwards, through Manuel Akanji, but then on 67 minutes, Ramos applied a third lovely finish to complete one of the wildest World Cup daydreams. Rafael Leao then added a superb sixth after coming on as a late substitute, giving one of the best knockout performances of recent times the finale it deserved.