Cristiano Ronaldo cut an emotional figure as thousands of fans applauded the five-time Ballon d'Or winner before he was introduced in Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old was dropped by manager Fernando Santos for Portugal's clash against the Swiss after he reacted angrily to being taken off in their group-stage defeat by South Korea. Ronaldo has struggled for form throughout the tournament and couldn't hide his frustration after he was replaced by Goncalo Ramos last Friday.
Subsequently, Santos decided to make a chance to the starting XI for the last-16 tie, with Ramos coming into the side in Ronaldo's place. It was a decision that paid dividends, with the Benfica forward scoring the first hat-trick at this World Cup as Portugal eased in the quarter-finals and booked a meeting with Morocco, who beat Spain earlier on Tuesday.
