Cristiano Ronaldo was upset when he was left out of Portugal's starting lineup against Switzerland but the conversation to drop him was completely normal and it is high time the world stopped focusing on the matter, coach Fernando Santos said on Friday. Ronaldo was benched as Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16. Later, the country's football federation had to publicly deny reports that their skipper had threatened to leave during the tournament after talking with Santos.

Portugal play surprise package Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday and a visibly frustrated Santos took great pains to explain what happened behind the scenes to put the issue to bed.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/lionel-messi-is-happy-at-psg-likely-to-extend-his-stay-says-club-president-nasser-al-khelaifi-541570">Lionel Messi is happy at PSG, likely to extend his stay, says club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi</a>

"He (Ronaldo) has never told me he wanted to leave our national team. It's high time we stopped talking about this conversation... It's high time to leave Ronaldo alone and acknowledge what he has done for Portuguese football," Santos said. "Yes, we did have a conversation... It needed to happen, it's part of our basis. I don't do that with all my players but he's the captain of our squad. You know what he represents for Portuguese football, the Portuguese people and national team.

"I invited him to my office (on matchday) and told him, 'Listen, you're not going to be one of the starters. In terms of strategy it's better if you are not on the field.' We expected the game to be difficult and I'd save him for the second half."

Ronaldo, the country's all-time top scorer, came on as a substitute and, though he did not score, Santos said he had been professional throughout by warming up with his team mates and celebrating each goal.

"Cristiano obviously wasn't very happy about it (being benched) because he's always been a starter ... and he asked me if it's a good idea," Santos added.

"But we had a normal conversation where I explained my viewpoints and, of course, he accepted. We had a frank and normal conversation."

Portugal will face Morocco in their quarterfinal clash on Saturday, December 10th.&nbsp;

Cristiano Ronaldo was upset when he was left out of Portugal's starting lineup against Switzerland but the conversation to drop him was completely normal and it is high time the world stopped focusing on the matter, coach Fernando Santos said on Friday.

Cristiano Ronaldo was upset when he was left out of Portugal's starting lineup against Switzerland but the conversation to drop him was completely normal and it is high time the world stopped focusing on the matter, coach Fernando Santos said on Friday. Ronaldo was benched as Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16. Later, the country's football federation had to publicly deny reports that their skipper had threatened to leave during the tournament after talking with Santos. Portugal play surprise package Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday and a visibly frustrated Santos took great pains to explain what happened behind the scenes to put the issue to bed. ALSO READ: Lionel Messi is happy at PSG, likely to extend his stay, says club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi "He (Ronaldo) has never told me he wanted to leave our national team. It's high time we stopped talking about this conversation... It's high time to leave Ronaldo alone and acknowledge what he has done for Portuguese football," Santos said. "Yes, we did have a conversation... It needed to happen, it's part of our basis. I don't do that with all my players but he's the captain of our squad. You know what he represents for Portuguese football, the Portuguese people and national team. "I invited him to my office (on matchday) and told him, 'Listen, you're not going to be one of the starters. In terms of strategy it's better if you are not on the field.' We expected the game to be difficult and I'd save him for the second half." Ronaldo, the country's all-time top scorer, came on as a substitute and, though he did not score, Santos said he had been professional throughout by warming up with his team mates and celebrating each goal. "Cristiano obviously wasn't very happy about it (being benched) because he's always been a starter ... and he asked me if it's a good idea," Santos added. "But we had a normal conversation where I explained my viewpoints and, of course, he accepted. We had a frank and normal conversation." Portugal will face Morocco in their quarterfinal clash on Saturday, December 10th.

It's high time we stop talking about Cristiano Ronaldo, says Portugal coach ahead of Morocco game

In the FIFA World Cup 2022 Football, Portugal crushed Switzerland 6-1 in the Round of 16 match and secured their spot in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals. Watch this video to know more.

FIFA World Cup 2022: Portugal crush Switzerland 6-1 to enter quarterfinals

The action continues in the FIFA World Cup 2022 edition with Portugal taking on Switzerland in the Round of 16 clash on Wednesday. After the likes of Argentina, France, England, Croatia, Netherlands have booked a spot in the quarter-finals, the onus will now be on Cristiano Ronaldo-starrer Portugal line-up to get the better of the Swiss team.

Talking about Portugal, they reached the Round of 16 with wins over Uruguay and Ghana before going down to South Korea, who have bowed out of the competition with 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brazil in their R-16 clash. Meanwhile, Switzerland defeated Cameroon and Serbia and lost to Brazil, by 1-0 deficit, to reach this far. They can certainly challenge the Portuguese line-up and rely on&nbsp;Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler to&nbsp;play the anchors, from&nbsp;the midfield with Vargas and Shaqiri opearing from the flanks. Breel Embolo has been their in-form player and will like to come good once again.

From Portugal, the onus will definitely be on Ronaldo,&nbsp;Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix. Overall, an exciting battle is surely on the cards.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-brazil-pay-rich-tribute-to-legend-pele-after-defeating-south-korea-to-book-fifa-wc-quarter-final-ticket-540513">WATCH: Brazil pay rich tribute to legend Pele after defeating South Korea to book FIFA WC quarter-final ticket</a>

<h2>When is the Portugal vs Switzerland R16 match of the FIFA World Cup 2022?</h2>

The Round of 16 match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be played between&nbsp;Portugal vs Switzerland&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Lusail Stadium.

<h2>What time will the match be telecast in India?</h2>

The match will commence at 12:30 AM IST on Wednesday&nbsp;(December 07).

<h2>Where can we watch the match live:&nbsp;Broadcast TV and OTT Channel in India?</h2>

Football fans, in India, can enjoy the&nbsp;FIFA World Cup games&nbsp;on Sports18&nbsp;and Sports18 HD channels on TV. Meanwhile, the live streaming of the&nbsp;proceedings will be on&nbsp;Jio Cinema app&nbsp;or website.&nbsp;

The action continues in the FIFA World Cup 2022 edition with Portugal taking on Switzerland in the Round of 16 clash on Wednesday. After the likes of Argentina, France, England, Croatia, Netherlands have booked a spot in the quarter-finals, the onus will now be on Cristiano Ronaldo-starrer Portugal line-up to get the better of the Swiss team.

The action continues in the FIFA World Cup 2022 edition with Portugal taking on Switzerland in the Round of 16 clash on Wednesday. After the likes of Argentina, France, England, Croatia, Netherlands have booked a spot in the quarter-finals, the onus will now be on Cristiano Ronaldo-starrer Portugal line-up to get the better of the Swiss team. Talking about Portugal, they reached the Round of 16 with wins over Uruguay and Ghana before going down to South Korea, who have bowed out of the competition with 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brazil in their R-16 clash. Meanwhile, Switzerland defeated Cameroon and Serbia and lost to Brazil, by 1-0 deficit, to reach this far. They can certainly challenge the Portuguese line-up and rely on Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler to play the anchors, from the midfield with Vargas and Shaqiri opearing from the flanks. Breel Embolo has been their in-form player and will like to come good once again. From Portugal, the onus will definitely be on Ronaldo, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix. Overall, an exciting battle is surely on the cards. Also read: WATCH: Brazil pay rich tribute to legend Pele after defeating South Korea to book FIFA WC quarter-final ticket When is the Portugal vs Switzerland R16 match of the FIFA World Cup 2022? The Round of 16 match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be played between Portugal vs Switzerland at the Lusail Stadium. What time will the match be telecast in India? The match will commence at 12:30 AM IST on Wednesday (December 07). Where can we watch the match live: Broadcast TV and OTT Channel in India? Football fans, in India, can enjoy the FIFA World Cup games on Sports18 and Sports18 HD channels on TV. Meanwhile, the live streaming of the proceedings will be on Jio Cinema app or website.

FIFA WC, R16 Broadcast TV and OTT-Live Streaming: When and where to watch Portugal vs Switzerland?

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal swept to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Switzerland in their UEFA Nations League clash at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Sunday.

William Carvalho and Joao Cancelo were also on the scoresheet as the hosts wasted numerous opportunities to inflict more humiliation on the visitors, who suffered their biggest defeat since losing to Germany by the same scoreline in 2008.

Portugal have four points from their opening two Group A2 matches and are ahead of second-place Czech Republic on goal difference. Switzerland are on zero after back-to-back losses and are now winless in their last four encounters since they qualified for the World Cup in Qatar.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/superstar-cristiano-ronaldo-bags-manchester-uniteds-player-of-year-for-record-equalling-time-485448">Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo bags Manchester United's Player of Year for record-equalling time</a>

Carvalho opened the scoring when he reacted quickest to the loose ball when Ronaldo`s free-kick was parried before the latter bagged a quickfire brace to extend his record tally of international goals to 117.

Ronaldo should have had a hat-trick when he wasted two excellent opportunities before halftime, the first a barely believable miss from six yards, but it was left to Cancelo to score the fourth for Portugal in the second half.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/gareth-bale-led-wales-beat-ukraine-1-0-qualify-for-2022-world-cup-485438">Gareth Bale-led Wales beat Ukraine 1-0, qualify for 2022 World Cup</a>

Portugal host Czech Republic in their next fixture on Thursday, while Switzerland entertain Spain in Geneva on the same evening.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal swept to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Switzerland in their UEFA Nations League clash at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal swept to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Switzerland in their UEFA Nations League clash at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Sunday. William Carvalho and Joao Cancelo were also on the scoresheet as the hosts wasted numerous opportunities to inflict more humiliation on the visitors, who suffered their biggest defeat since losing to Germany by the same scoreline in 2008. Portugal have four points from their opening two Group A2 matches and are ahead of second-place Czech Republic on goal difference. Switzerland are on zero after back-to-back losses and are now winless in their last four encounters since they qualified for the World Cup in Qatar. Also Read: Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo bags Manchester United's Player of Year for record-equalling time Carvalho opened the scoring when he reacted quickest to the loose ball when Ronaldo`s free-kick was parried before the latter bagged a quickfire brace to extend his record tally of international goals to 117. Ronaldo should have had a hat-trick when he wasted two excellent opportunities before halftime, the first a barely believable miss from six yards, but it was left to Cancelo to score the fourth for Portugal in the second half. Also Read: Gareth Bale-led Wales beat Ukraine 1-0, qualify for 2022 World Cup Portugal host Czech Republic in their next fixture on Thursday, while Switzerland entertain Spain in Geneva on the same evening.

Cristiano Ronaldo scores a brace as Portugal thrash Switzerland 4-0 in UEFA Nations League