Ronaldo pulls off familiar Man Utd stunt while Portugal team-mates celebrate

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first Portugal player to walk down the tunnel following his side's emphatic 6-1 win over Switzerland at Lusail Stadium.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was dropped for the last-16 clash against the Swiss but came on as a second-half substitute with Fernando Santos' side already in cruise control. Portugal surged to a four-goal lead thanks to a brace from Ronaldo's replacement, Goncalo Ramos, while Pepe and Raphael Guerreiro also stuck inside the opening hour.

Manuel Akanji's strike gave Switzerland a glimmer of hope, but Ramos grabbed his hat-trick and the first treble of this year's World Cup to put Portugal firmly in control. Then it was time for Ronaldo to enter the fray, and the former Manchester United man received a rousing reception from the fans inside the ground.

Ronaldo, who came on in the 73rd minute, almost grabbed a goal for himself but his effort was ruled out for offside. Portugal added a sixth with moments to go when Rafael Leao got on the scoresheet, securing the crushing victory and setting up a quarter-final clash with Morocco on Saturday.

After the game, the Portugal squad went over to celebrate with their supporters around the stadium. It was a touching moment as they qualified for the last eight at a World Cup for the first time since 2006, and Ronaldo joined in with the start of the celebrations by applauding the travelling Portugal fans.

But according to BBC Sport, Ronaldo was the first Portugal player to walk down the tunnel after initially celebrating with his side on the pitch. This isn't the only time Ronaldo has left the action early, having repeated a similar theme at Manchester United before he left the club last month.

The former Real Madrid attacker furiously stormed down the tunnel before the end of United's Premier League win over Tottenham back in October after refusing to come on as a second-half substitute. He did the same against Rayo Vallecano in a pre-season friendly - something Erik ten Hag condemned at the time - and he managed to solve the second situation before Ronaldo returned the fold for their Europa League win over Sheriff.

However, Ronaldo decided to air his views about Ten Hag to Piers Morgan, sending shockwaves across the globe. He opened up about his time at Old Trafford and criticised a number of aspects of the club.

Ronaldo slammed Ten Hag and admitted he doesn't have any respect for the Dutchman, before going on to hit out at the Glazers and other United figures. It all led to the Red Devils confirming Ronaldo would leave the club, 15 months after re-joining from Juventus. Ronaldo has since been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

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