December 25, 2024

Ramos, Pepe give Portugal 2-0 halftime lead over Swiss in last 16

Portugal #Portugal

LUSAIL, Qatar, Dec 6 (Reuters) – A scintillating 17th-minute strike from Goncalo Ramos and a powerful header from Pepe gave Portugal a 2-0 halftime lead over Switzerland in their World Cup last-16 match on Tuesday.

Brought into the team in place of captain Cristiano Ronaldo for his first World Cup start, Ramos fired into the top corner at the near post from a seemingly impossible angle.

Pepe added the second just after the half hour mark when he beat two defenders in the air to head home a corner. Ramos almost scored again just before halftime when his low shot was superbly saved by Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

The winners face Morocco in the quarter-finals.

Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Ken Ferris

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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