Ramos, Pepe give Portugal 2-0 halftime lead over Swiss in last 16

A scintillating 17th-minute strike from Goncalo Ramos and a powerful header from Pepe gave Portugal a 2-0 halftime lead over Switzerland in their World Cup last-16 match on Tuesday.

Brought into the team in place of captain Cristiano Ronaldo for his first World Cup start, Ramos fired into the top corner at the near post from a seemingly impossible angle.

Pepe added the second just after the half hour mark when he beat two defenders in the air to head home a corner. Ramos almost scored again just before halftime when his low shot was superbly saved by Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

The winners face Morocco in the quarter-finals.