The second day of the 2022 World Cup quarter finals are underway, with Portugal set to square off against Morocco for the first match of the day. As Portugal attempt to punch their ticket for a spot in the semifinals, they have delivered a shocking status update for their star forward Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the match.

Portugal managed to burst into the quarterfinals after demolishing Switzerland in a 6-1 blowout in the Round of 16, but that came with Ronaldo out of the starting lineup and on the bench. Many figured that Ronaldo would return to the starting lineup for this crucial game against Morocco, but once again, Ronaldo has been relegated to the bench for the start of this game.

“Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was again left on the bench, this time for Saturday's World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco, as his frustrating tournament took another turn for the worse. Ronaldo, axed from his country's previous match at the World Cup, had to once again make do with a place among the substitutes for Portugal's last-eight showdown at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.” – ESPN

This is certainly a shock to see Ronaldo on the bench yet again, although it is worth noting that his replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick against Switzerland. There's a decent chance we will see Ronaldo come off the bench at some point in this contest, but his disappearance from the starting lineup for the second straight contest has added more woes to what's already been a tough World Cup run for the legendary Portuguese striker.