World Cup 2022: Cristiano Ronaldo clashes with South Korean player

• Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo exchanged words with a South Korean player after he was substituted off
• It was initially thought that the prolific striker was angry with his coach for taking him off after 65 minutes
• Portugal Head Coach Fernando Santos has revealed that his star man was insulted by the unnamed player

Cristiano Ronaldo had a minor confrontation with a South Korean player during their match at the Education City Stadium.

Portugal played the Taeguk Warriors in the last Group H fixture, with the latter looking for maximum points and positive results elsewhere to ensure progression.

Ronaldo surprisingly started the game despite Portugal having already qualified for the round of 16. The 2016 Euro winners beat Ghana and Uruguay in their first two games.

They raced to a 1-0 lead courtesy of a close-range finish from Ricardo Horta. South Korea fought back to restore parity before the break, with Kim-Young Gwon benefitting from a Ronaldo error.

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Ronaldo's substitution

After 65 minutes, Portugal Head Coach Fernando Santos decided to hook off Ronaldo was visibly upset with the decision. He appeared to mull a few words to the technical area before putting his hands on his mouth and telling him to shut up.

Santos has since clarified that Ronaldo wasn't addressing him but a South Korean player who wanted the former Manchester United striker to hurry off the pitch, as the Mirror reports.

"Ronaldo came off the pitch angry, yes, but with the Korean player who was insulting him and sending him away from the pitch. He replied to him and that is perfectly normal."

South Korea got a stoppage-time goal after Hwang Hee-Chan completed a wonderful counterattack from Heung-min Son. They were forced to wait for the Uruguay and Ghana clash to end to know if they had progressed.

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They are most likely to face Brazil in the round of 16.

How Portugal and South Korea played out

Sports Brief has also reported that substitute Hwang Hee-chan scored the winner in injury time to rescue South Korea from the brink of World Cup elimination in a thrilling 2-1 victory over already-qualified Portugal on Friday.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers' forward slipped in the winner in the 91st minute at Education City Stadium in Qatar to spark delirium and tears among the Korean fans.

Talisman Son Heung-min, who set up the winner, collapsed to the floor and lay on his back on the turf at the final whistle. He had tears in his eyes. The Korean players then stood in a huddle on the pitch watching the Ghana v Uruguay match on a mobile phone as they awaited their place in the last 16 to be confirmed.

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