Morocco vs. Portugal live updates: Cristiano Ronaldo benched again

The 2022 FIFA World Cup continues Saturday on FOX with Morocco taking on Portugal at Qatar’s Al-Thumama Stadium in the tournament’s penultimate quarterfinal match.

There’s one more semifinal spot up for grabs Saturday, as England takes on France next (11 a.m. ET, FOX and the FOX Sports app). The winners will advance to play each other in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Here are the top plays!

Morocco vs. Portugal

Pregame updates

8:40 a.m. ET: Ronaldo sits again

Cristiano Ronaldo will be on the bench for the second straight match. He was replaced in the starting XI for Tuesday’s match against Switzerland by 21-year-old Gonçalo Ramos, who scored a hat trick in Portugal’s resounding 6-1 victory, before eventually entering for Ramos in the 73rd minute. That was the first time the 37-year-old striker didn’t start a World Cup match since 2006 and reports surfaced that he told manager Fernando Santos that he would quit after finding out that he would not start for the national team – a report the Portuguese Football Federation denied in a statement. On Saturday against Morocco, he will again be relegated to the bench. 

On Friday, his manager spoke about all the discussion around Ronaldo’s status, saying, “I think it’s high time to leave Cristiano Ronaldo alone. In every news conference, 90% of the questions are about Cristiano Ronaldo.”

For Portugal, the focus shifts to Ramos and whether he can duplicate his incredible game from Tuesday.

Stay tuned for updates!

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Check out the full schedule for the World Cup and how to watch each match live here.