The Portuguese national team was surprised by its quarterfinal departure at the hands of Morocco, which scored a clear goal, but the newspapers in the European nation focused mostly on an offensive attack on the referee.
The match was moderated by Argentine referee Facundo Tello, amid fears before the match that a referee from the country of Lionel Messi would manage a match that would determine the fate of Portugal and its star, Cristiano Ronaldo, in light of the recent competition between the two legends in the World Cup in order to win the title.
Portugal was one of the strongest candidates to win the title, as well as Argentina, so the Portuguese media believes that the referee had a role in banishing one of the most important candidates to compete with his country to win the cup.
Argentina is the world champion
The newspaper “Record” published a report entitled “Argentina is the World Cup Champion”, due to the assignment of the task of refereeing the match to Argentine referee Facundo Tello, who has become the number one enemy now in Portugal.
The newspaper highlighted the statements of the team’s stars, led by “Bibi”, who said that managing the match with an Argentine referee is totally unacceptable.
Santos does not regret
The Portuguese newspaper “Ojogo” published a report on the most prominent news in the selection of coach Fernando Santos, by removing Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting line-up for the second consecutive match.
Santos said after the match that he did not regret his decision to put Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, indicating that the impact on the result was ‘zer0’.
Ronaldo’s tears
The newspaper “Ojogo” showed a snapshot of Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit, drowning in a bout of tears, on its front page, describing it as the end after the exit of the Portuguese national team.
Cristiano Ronaldo will celebrate his 38th birthday in a few weeks, and him playing in the 2026 World Cup close to his 42nd birthday will be unlikely, so it is not believed that Ronaldo will play again at a World Cup.
The dream is over
The Portuguese newspaper “A Bola” wrote on its headline after the Santos’ team fell to Walid Regragui’s men : “The dream is over,” as the Portuguese people would not sleep tonight to dream of Cristiano Ronaldo lifting the World Cup.
The newspaper focused on the end of the dream of the first World Cup in history for star Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest football players in history.