DOHA: There are profound parallels between the situations Vahid Halilhodzic and Cristiano Ronaldo find themselves in. Yet, it couldn’t be more different. Halilhodzic feels he should be in Qatar, having led Morocco to World Cup qualification. Ronaldo is in Qatar but now his role having diminished; he’s more likely to be on the bench when Portugal take on Morocco in their quarter-final on Saturday.

Halilhodzic was sacked by the Moroccan Football Federation ahead of the World Cup after differences had widened between him and some of the players who have starred in the team’s run to the last eight in Qatar. In an interview with French publication So Foot earlier this week, Halilhodzic stated that instead of being in Qatar, “I’m here in the rain”. As specks of rain fell in Doha on Friday afternoon, clouds gathering, Ronaldo might as well find himself on the bench under the rain on Saturday.

But he might still, unlike Halilhodzic, end up winning the World Cup and there remains no denying that Ronaldo still remains Portugal’s biggest drawcard.

“At our press conferences, 90 per cent of the questions are always about Ronaldo, that’s his magnitude,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos told reporters on the eve of their clash against Morocco, vindicated after his decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench for their last-16 tie against Switzerland saw his side run riot in a 6-1 win.

That performance, the potential of Portugal to play fluid, expansive football on full show, prompted former Portugal defender Jose Fonte to claim in a podcast, as reported by Portuguese newspaper A Bola, that Portugal had the quality to do that in every game but they were burdened by Ronaldo’s presence on the field which forced the others to “unconsciously and automatically play for him and give the ball to him”.

On Friday, Fonte’s comments were put forth to Joao Felix, Portugal’s star for the future, the man who is expected to be their main man once the 37-year-old Ronaldo calls it a day. The game against Switzerland, though, in many ways was already a changing of the guard, Felix at his devastating best; causing havoc with his vision and movement and Goncalo Ramos, who replaced Ronaldo at the top of Portugal’s attack, bagging a hat-trick.

“I don’t feel that obligation to pass to Cristiano when we play together,” said the 23-year-old Felix, sitting alongside Santos at the news conference. “We always try to do our best on the pitch, pass to the player in the best position, but everyone has their opinion. Cristiano gives us things we don’t have and when he’s not there, we play differently. It’s not because he’s in the team or not that things are better or worse. Portugal is in a great competition and I think we should all be more united and not try to spoil the atmosphere that we have in the team.”

Santos then dispelled the notion that Ronaldo had at any time refused to leave the camp after being told in the afternoon of the game against the Swiss that he wouldn’t be starting it. He said there were “frank discussions” in which Ronaldo was told that he did not fit into the strategy but would be called upon if need be. “I think it’s high time to leave Ronaldo alone … just in acknowledgement for what he’s done for Portugal football,” added Santos.

It was after all the questions about Ronaldo had been answered that the focus fell back on the task on hand and the fact that facing a Morocco side that knocked out Portugal’s Iberian rivals Spain in the last 16 won’t be a walk in the park. “They’re an extremely organised team with a lot of potential,” said Santos. “It’s not going to be easy.”

Portugal and Morocco clashed at the World Cup four years ago in Russia; Santos’ men shading the group stage game 1-0 thanks to Ronaldo’s goal. “Last time it was the most difficult game we played,” he said. “They have a strong culture about playing as a group.”

HISTORY-MAKERS

After Halilhodzic’s sacking, Walid Regragui was the man tasked with the job of managing Morocco in Qatar and trying to incorporate the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui, who had been sidelined by his predecessor.

It’s been a dream run for them, becoming the first Arab side to reach the last eight at world football’s grandest stage and only the second African side after Ghana in 2010 to reach the quarter-finals.

Regragui has cultivated a family feeling at the Moroccan camp; their players are accompanied by the families at the World Cup and the heartwarming images of their star Achraf Hakimi celebrating with his mother after each game have gone viral.

Hakimi it was who converted the winning penalty in the shootout against Spain after goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had made two spectacular saves, sparking celebrations across the Arab world and beyond. In their run so far, Morocco have also beaten Belgium, while holding Croatia to a draw.

“Portugal might have fewer weaknesses but that was the same for Belgium, Croatia and Spain,” Regragui told reporters at a news conference on Friday. “We have a plan we’re going to apply. We need to focus on what we can do and try to be stronger and stronger. Portugal are the favourites and they would want to win the World Cup. We are the underdogs and we would try to surprise them.”

Ahmed Tagnaouti, Morocco’s second-choice goalkeeper behind Bounou, sitting next to Regra­gui put it more simply: “We hope to go through and make Moroccans happy.”

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2022