"He was speaking in English to Cristiano" - Santos says Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was insulted by South Korea player during substitution

Portugal manager Fernando Santos has said that Cristiano Ronaldo was insulted by South Korea's Cho Gue-sung as the Selecao captain was leaving the pitch on being substituted during their 2022 FIFA World Cup clash on Friday (December 2).

He had a tense exchange of words with Gue-sung as Ronaldo was then seen putting his finger to his mouth, gesturing the Korean striker to keep quiet. The 37-year-old initially looked unhappy at the decision to bring him off in the 65th minute.

After the game, Santos said it was Ronaldo's interaction with Gue-sung that had left the player angry.

Speaking after the game, Santos said (via ESPN):

"The player from Korea was insulting him telling him to go away, so that is the reason why he was angry, everyone saw that. I saw the interaction with the Korea player, and I don't have any doubts about it, and if you see the images you see Pepe went towards the Korea player."

The Portuguese coach added that Gue-sung was speaking to Ronaldo in English, and that the prolific No.7 sarcastically quipped that the Korean was having a rough time on the field. Santos said:

"He was not aggressive; he was only verbally aggressive; he was speaking in English to Cristiano, and Cristiano said, 'Perhaps he had a bad day.'"

Ronaldo had addressed the issue himself to the press after the game, as he said that Gue-sung was hastening him off the pitch. The former Real Madrid ace said:

"What happened was before my substitution; the South Korea player told me to get off quickly. I told him to shut up, as he doesn't have that authority. There was no disagreement (with the coach)."

Gue-sung, though, had the last laugh as South Korea snatched a 91st-minute winner to beat Portugal 2-1 and qualify for the round of 16. The Euro 2016 champions had already secured their place in the next round and in spite of the defeat, won Group H.

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Portugal face Switzerland in last 16, Korea take on Brazil

Portugal will face Switzerland on Tuesday (December 6) as they look to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2006.

Although Portugal are the favourites, the Qatar showpiece has produced numerous upsets, so nothing seems guaranteed.

South Korea, meanwhile, will take on the mighty Brazil in the last 16, and suffice to say, they will start as the firm underdogs. However, Cameroon's stunning 1-0 win over the Canaries last night showed that no task is too big to achieve for a side in the competition.