Morocco manager Walid Regragui has said that he would be happy if Cristiano Ronaldo remains on the bench for their FIFA World Cup clash against Portugal.
Morocco will face Portugal at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday, December 10 to try to book a place in the semifinals of the World Cup and become the first African team to achieve the feat.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos made the bold decision to bench their captain in their Round-of-16 clash against Switzerland on December 7. The decision paid off as Ronaldo’s replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick and also provided an assist. They won 6-1 to book their place in the quarter-finals.
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Morocco manager Regragui believes he would like to see the former Manchester United man on the bench again on Saturday.
“We are going to play against one of the best teams in the world, with very skilled players. I don’t know if Ronaldo will play, I hope not, I know he’s one of the best footballers in history, so I’ll be happy if he doesn’t play.”
He added: “Portugal also wants to reach the semi-finals, but we have to be optimistic and also humble. We already got a great result against Spain, will we get another one tomorrow? I hope so.”
