Portugal stepping out of Ronaldo’s long shadow at World Cup

Published December 8, 2022 5:19 AM

By STEVE DOUGLAS and LUIS ANDRES HENAO
Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — A future for Portugal’s national team without Cristiano Ronaldo could be a daunting prospect to the country’s up-and-coming generation of internationals. They respect and even revere him with Bruno Fernandes calling him the most famous athlete in sports. Yet they are showing at the World Cup that playing without Ronaldo might liberate them. Winning 6-1 without the Portugal captain in the last 16 against Switzerland demonstrated there is plenty of life after the five-time world player of the year. They’ll look to show it again in the quarterfinals against Morocco.

Article Topic Follows: AP-National-Sports

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