Breel Embolo is positive that Switzerland can beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, succumbed to a 2-1 loss to South Korea in their final group match of the FIFA World Cup on Friday (2 December). They nevertheless booked their place in the Round of 16 as Group H winners.
Selecao will now lock horns with Switzerland on Tuesday (6 December) for a spot in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. They will be confident about their chances of progressing further in the competition.
However, Switzerland forward Embolo has now fired a fierce warning to Cristiano Ronaldo and company. He is confident that Nati can cause an upset over Portugal when the two sides clash on Tuesday. The AS Monaco man was quoted as saying by Swiss daily Blick:
“We know that we are capable of hurting Portugal and can beat them too. Our opponents know that too. We will be ready for this game.”
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin is also not fazed about the prospect of facing Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. in their Round of 16 clash. He said:
“Portugal are the favorites in this Round of 16 tie. But it will be an open game. We’re going into this game with confidence from the win against Serbia. My players have shown everything they can do. I’m looking forward to the next step.”
Switzerland notably booked their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup with a 3-2 win over Serbia on Friday. The victory saw them finish second in Group G and qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared at this year’s FIFA World Cup?
Cristiano Ronaldo, who became a free agent after leaving Manchester United last month, is the captain of Portugal. He has started in each of their three FIFA World Cup matches so far this year.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner notably opened the scoring for Selecao from the spot in their 3-2 win over Ghana in their first group match. However, he has not found the back of the net since.
Ronaldo particularly struggled in the team’s 2-1 defeat to South Korea on Friday. His mistake notably allowed the opponents to equalize before going on to grab a late winner.
The forward, though, will be determined to fire his nation to glory in Qatar in the coming days. He will also be keen to add more goals to his tally.