Chris Sutton, a legendary Chelsea player, is of the opinion that Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will cost his team a spot in the quarterfinals of the World Cup when they play Switzerland in the last-16 on Tuesday.
In spite of a shocking 2-1 defeat to South Korea on Friday, Portugal topped Group H and will play Switzerland in the round of 16 of this year’s FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo, 37, has started all three games for Fernando Santos’ team at the World Cup. In their first match, a 3-2 victory over Ghana, he scored the first goal.
However, Sutton believes that starting Ronaldo against Switzerland poses a risk, adding that the former Manchester United player will miss a penalty.
He says that the match will end 1-1 and Ronaldo won’t score from the spot.
“This will be close, and I have a feeling Cristiano Ronaldo will have a big say in the outcome – although not necessarily in a positive way,” Sutton predicted in his BBC column.
“If Portugal selects Ronaldo, it is a risk-versus-reward situation because of his enormous influence on the team, but they may have a better starter who ought to be in the side. How long ought he remain on the field if this tie holds up?
The prediction of Sutton: After extra time, Switzerland won 1-1 on penalties, with Ronaldo missing the game-winning kick.