It was a night to forget for Fabian Schar on Tuesday and one that former Toon target Goncalo Ramos will never forget.
Back in August, Sky Sports revealed that Newcastle United were set to launch a bid in excess of £25m for the Benfica striker, however the club ended up pursuing Alexander Isak instead.
Last night, the 21-year-old started ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal’s last 16 clash with Switzerland and justified that controversial call with a stunning hat-trick; the first of the 2022 World Cup.
His first came after Schar gave Ramos too much space to smash a near post effort into the roof of the net, with the Toon defender taken off at half-time after a tough opening 45 minutes that also featured him going into the referees book.
It’s believed he was suffering from illness leading up to the game – perhaps that, his sluggish performance and his yellow card explain why he was taken off early – but it was a night to forget for the Swiss CB as Portugal went on to win 6-1 on the night, advancing to a quarter final clash with Morocco.
He joins Garang Kuol (Australia) in exiting the tournament in the last 16, with Brazil’s Bruno Guimaraes and England trio Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Nick Pope now our last men standing ahead of the quarter finals later this weel.
Here’s highlights from last night’s game, including Ramos’ hat-trick and some less than impressive defending from Schar:
