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Portugal are through to the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup while Uruguay appear to be on the brink of elimination thanks to a 2-0 result in favor of the Iberian side over the South Americans on Monday. It was a Bruno Fernandes goal in the second half, originally given to Cristiano Ronaldo, that was the difference as the Europeans now sit on six points from two games. Fernandes then added a penalty kick in added time as they got revenge on the South Americans, who eliminated them from the 2018 edition in Russia.
Here’s the winner that arrived in the 54 minute:
Portugal finished the game with 15 shots but only three on frame, winning the battle of possession. The Portuguese also hit the post late on as Fernandes nearly secured a hat trick.
Meanwhile, La Celeste have one point from two games with zero goals scored, putting them in a must-win situation against Ghana to have any chance of moving on. Both teams had their fair share of chances, with Uruguay nearly finding an equalizer after the introductions of Luis Suarez and Maxi Gomez, the latter rocking a shot off the right post.
But then, with time winding down, Jose Maria Gimenez handled the ball in the box while sliding, resulting in a penalty that Fernandes would convert.
Uruguay didn’t really get into a rhythm in this one, with the aging defenders at times having trouble with Portugal’s speed. The victors’ defense also stepped up big with Joao Cancelo making a huge heading stop on a potential goal by Luis Suarez.
As it stands, Portugal have six points, Ghana have three, and both South Korea and Uruguay have one. Portugal face South Korea on Friday, and Uruguay battle Ghana the same day. Uruguay have to win and hope South Korea don’t also beat Portugal, because then it would go down to tiebreakers. If Uruguay win and South Korea lose, the South Americans will advance. Ghana advance with a win, while a draw will be enough as long as they hold the tiebreaker over South Korea, which they currently do on goal differential.