Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench during the World Cup match between Portugal and Switzerland

After being angered by Cristiano Ronaldo’s petulant reaction to being substituted against South Korea, Portugal manager Fernando Santos opted to have him elected for the team’s knockout tie today against Switzerland. Santos hinted at the possibility when asked about Ronaldo’s status on Monday, telling reporters in Qatar that he provided the dressing room lineup and was not about to change.

“Otherwise,” he said, “the matter is closed and everyone is available.”

Although it keeps one of the world’s top scorers on the bench to start, the measure could be as unifying, perhaps, as it is punitive – proof that Santos will not condone or reward actions he perceives as potentially dangerous. for the team. Ronaldo came off late in Portugal’s first two group stage matches but was substituted in the 65th minute of their 2-1 loss to South Korea and responded by raising a finger to his lips, as if s he made a sign to be quiet.

Here are the line-ups, with Pepe elevated to captaincy:

Portugal: Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Ruben Dias, Pepe, Raphaël Guerriero; Otavio, William Carvalho, Bruno Fernandes; Bernardo Silva, Gonçalo Ramos, João Felix.

Swiss: Yann Sommer; Edimilson Fernandes, Fabian Schär, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodríguez; Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka; Xherdan Shaqiri, Djibril Sow, Ruben Vargas; Emboloe de Breel.