Qatar World Cup 2022: Here's why Fernando Santos berated Cristiano Ronaldo following South Korea loss

Qatar World Cup 2022: Portugal suffered a loss to South Korea in its final group-stage meeting. Meanwhile, former's boss Fernando Santos was not impressed with Cristiano Ronaldo and rebuked him. Here's why.

Image credit: Getty

European giant Portugal has been impressive in the group stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Meanwhile, the side was defeated in its final group-stage contest against Asian giant South Korea. Played at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, the Navigators suffered a 1-2 failure. At the same time, the flop hardly mattered, as the side had already sealed its place in the pre-quarters. Meanwhile, sensational striker Cristiano Ronaldo had a heated exchange with Cho Gue-sung before being substituted. This attitude of Ronaldo did not impress the Portuguese head coach Fernando Santos, who later gave a hearing to the ex-Manchester United striker, reports FotMob.

Image credit: Getty

Talking about the same to the media during a press conference on Monday, Santos noted, "Did I see the images? I did. Did I like it? Not at all. I wouldn't say I liked it at all. But, from then on, these matters are resolved internally. From there, we think about the next game, for which everyone will be focused. The matter is over."

Image credit: Getty

While Ronaldo is without a club, reports have indicated that Saudi Arabian giant Al Nassr is close to signing him. Speaking on the topic, Santos registered, "I haven't spoken to him about this. I didn't know about this. Someone only told me a few minutes ago. But that's his decision and something that he has to deal with. We are focused on the World Cup and this team."

Image credit: Getty

Ronaldo has had an average performance in this WC, scoring just once through a penalty during Portugal's win over Ghana. While he has become the first lad to score in five WCs, he has yet to score in the knockouts. In 25 WC knockouts, Ronaldo has scored none and is only next to Roberto Carlos of Brazil, who hasn't scored in 29 WC knockouts.