Following his team’s decisive 6-1 victory over Switzerland at Lusail Stadium, Cristiano Ronaldo was the first Portugal player to walk down the tunnel.
The five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or was benched for the last-16 match against Switzerland but entered as a second-half substitute with Fernando Santos’ team comfortably in control.
Goncalo Ramos, Ronaldo’s replacement, scored two goals, while Pepe and Raphael Guerreiro also scored in the first half as Portugal surged to a four-goal lead.
Manuel Akanji’s strike gave Switzerland a supposed glimmer of hope.
However, Ramos grabbed his hat-trick and the first treble of this year’s World Cup to put Portugal firmly in control.
Then it was time for Ronaldo to enter the fray, and the former Manchester United man received a rousing reception from the fans inside the ground.
Ronaldo, who came on in the 73rd minute, almost grabbed a goal for himself but his effort was ruled out for offside.
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Portugal added a sixth with moments to go when Rafael Leao got on the scoresheet, securing the crushing victory and setting up a quarter-final clash with Morocco on Saturday.
After the game, the Portugal squad went over to celebrate with their supporters around the stadium.
It was a touching moment as they qualified for the last eight at a World Cup for the first time since 2006, and Ronaldo joined in with the start of the celebrations by applauding the travelling Portugal fans.
However, according to BBC Sport, Ronaldo was the first Portugal player to walk down the tunnel after initially celebrating with his side on the pitch.
This isn’t the only time Ronaldo has left the action early, having repeated a similar theme at Manchester United before he left the club last month.
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