Iran Press/ Middle East: Gonçalo Ramos, starting in place of Portugal's star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, scored the go-ahead goal and followed with two more in the second half.
Goncalo Ramos spoke to the media after his stunning hat-trick. On whether he faced any extra pressure coming in for Ronaldo: "Honestly, in our team no one talked about it. Cristiano as our captain did what he always does, he helped us, he encouraged us, not only to myself, to my colleagues."
On whether he dreamed of getting this opportunity: "Not even in my best dreams I thought about being part of the starting XI for the knockout phases."
And on his roles models: "Cristiano Ronaldo was one of them, Lewandowski, Ibrahimovic, they were my role models."
Following Portugal's emphatic win, manager Fernando Santos insisted there was no issue with Cristiano Ronaldo after his decision to bench the Portugal captain.
“There is no problem with our captain,” the 68-year-old said. “We’ve been friends for years. We spoke before the game and he had no issue with my decision. He’s an example.
"In four days we have another match and we have to deal with that. We have to make the decisions which are best for that match. I think those issues have been solved and I repeat myself: this is something that is finished and solved.
"We have to look at the example of this player's history - he's one of the best players in the world, as a player and captain, and we have to think about this team collectively."
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