Cristiano Ronaldo won't be starting for Portugal on Tuesday versus Switzerland

Portugal has benched Cristiano Ronaldo for their 2022 World Cup Round of 16 game against Switzerland on Tuesday.

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The decision came a day after manager Fernando Santos told a news conference that he "really didn't like" Ronaldo's reaction in the 65th minute of a 2-1 group-stage loss to South Korea.

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Santos also faced pressure from the Portuguese public to release Cristiano Ronaldo for sporting reasons.

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The 37-year-old striker scored only once in the group stage through a controversial penalty. His performances at Manchester United declined rapidly, so much so that United sacked him.

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Ronaldo has captained Portugal for over a decade, and has only come off the bench three times for his national team since 2004, when he was a teenager

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In his absence, Portugal's front four will be Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos.

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The game starts at 10 pm. Local time at Lusail Stadium, Qatar.

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