Caitlin Dillon
Matias Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick on his first ever international start, as Portugal beat Switzerland 6-1 in a thrilling round of 16 tie to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in 16 years.
Having played just 35 minutes for his country prior to this evening, the Benfica striker put his side ahead inside 17 minutes, curling the ball past Yann Sommer and into the near corner from 12 yards out. The 21-year-old clinched their third just after half time, as Diogo Dalot zipped down the right, driving a cross towards the near post for Ramos to flick into the back of the net. His hat-trick was completed in the 67th minute, as Joao Felix made a simple pass from just outside the box, which was effortlessly slipped past Sommer into the bottom left, making Ramos the youngest player to score a World Cup hat-trick since Florian Albert in 1962.
38-year-old Kleper Pepe also got his name on the scoresheet in the 33rd minute, along with Raphael Guerrero (55’) and Rafael Lead (90+1’).
Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji pulled one back for Switzerland, but with their standout performance, Portugal set up a quarter-final clash against Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium. Their match will take place on Saturday 10th December at 6pm.