Portugal beat Uruguay to reach the last 16 of the World Cup at the Lucille Stadium.
A short game of genuine quality broke the deadlock in the 54th minute when a cross from Bruno Fernandes was deflected past Uruguay keeper Sergio Rochet, a goal awarded to the Manchester United midfielder despite Cristiano Ronaldo claiming he had scored. There was a peep from his head.
Portugal made most of the runs until they went ahead but Uruguay, who must now beat Ghana in their final Group H game to have a chance of qualifying, created their chances and could have taken a point.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s brilliant first-half run was stopped by a save from Portugal keeper Diego Costa, while substitute Maxi Gomez hit the post as Uruguay looked for an equaliser.
Portugal wrapped up the win in stoppage time when Fernandes scored his second from the spot after intervention by the video assistant referee, which was handled by Jose Gimenez.
Fernandes almost completed his hat-trick before the final whistle but saw his shot go low on the post.
In the second half of the game, a pitch invader carried a rainbow flag and wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Save Ukraine’ on the front and ‘Respect the Iranian woman’ on the back.
Portugal is moving forward with ‘quiet confidence’
Portugal have advanced to the last 16 with a performance and will present a formidable obstacle to whoever they face as they have strength in all areas.
It was unspectacular but Portugal had the match-winners, with Fernandes stepping into character on that occasion with both goals and a strike against the post that almost made it a treble.
Ronaldo was quiet, though still insisting he had scored the opener in some good-natured post-match celebrations. He may have left Manchester United under a cloud but his status among Portugal fans is unmistakable as there were huge cheers when his face appeared on the big screen before kick-off and when his late goal When the place was taken, I was happy to stand.
Portugal can rely on the quality of Manchester City trio Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo in defense and Bernardo Silva in midfield while the ageless Pepe continues as a defensive rock.
They have not been mentioned among the loaded nations for this World Cup but there is a quiet confidence with real class and quality as they move through the knockout stages.
Uruguay on the brink
Uruguay have attacking threat men in the form of Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez alongside Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, who was left on the bench after a poor performance against South Korea.
The problem is that they were underutilized here because Uruguay were largely happy to play conservatively until they were behind a goal. Now they are in serious danger of losing the World Cup.
Portugal need a point against South Korea to top the group, while Uruguay need a win against Ghana to improve on South Korea’s result. It’s a game of brinkmanship that could prove costly in this tense final group game.
The Uruguayans have an aging strike force in Cavani and Suarez, both 35, while the 23-year-old Nunez is still trying to find his feet at this level and has also lacked decent service.
Uruguay have class in midfield with Federico Valverde while Tottenham’s Bentanker was a driving force but they are a team that can leave you wanting more at times.
It was one such occasion and now they have to be at their best against Ghana and hope another result goes in their favor to prevent a disappointing early exit in Qatar.
