Fernando Santos: The Ronaldo situation is over

Fernando Santos, Portugal coach, spoke about his team's victory in a game with Switzerland:

“Was putting Ronaldo on the bench the hardest decision of my career? I’ve got a very close relationship with him. I’ve known him since he was 19 and I was his coach at Sporting. This relationship grew here in the Seleção and this won’t change anything. Neither Cristiano or I confuse the human side with professional matters. Cristiano continues to be extremely important for the national team.

“The Ronaldo situation is over. It’s good to see the example given by this extraordinary player in terms of professionalism. A true captain, the way he celebrated the goals, the way he played when he came on, with enormous desire.

“I remember the game against Morocco at the 2018 World Cup well. They are an extremely competitive side. They beat Spain and it was not because of the way Spain played, it was full merit to Morocco. The next game is going to be a very, very difficult match. In 2018 it was the toughest game we had at that World Cup, more difficult even than the Uruguay game, which we lost. We will analyse them well, then make our decisions.”