Portugal vs. Uruguay: 2-0
Portugal vs. Uruguay: 2-0
Bruno Fernandes scored a pair of targets as Portugal beat Uruguay 2-0 to maneuver to 6 factors in Group H at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar on Monday evening and clinch a spot in the knockout rounds.
Portugal survived a busy end to the game to develop into the third workforce after France and Brazil to qualify for the final 16 and can end group play towards South Korea on Friday.
Portugal dominated with near possession towards Uruguay in a scoreless first half, nevertheless, it, was the South People who got here closest to scoring when Rodrigo Bentancur charged by way solely to see his thirty-two-minute shot blocked by keeper Diogo Costa.
Cristiano Ronaldo set the tone for the match with some early showboating when he used a shoulder to redirect a protracted throw into the trail of William Carvalho, whose highly effective volley sailed over the bar.
Portugal appeared threatening on the method but struggled to create goalscoring probabilities, with Bernardo Silva, Fernandes and Joao Felix pissed off in the entrance of the objective early on.
Fernandes scored from the left flank within the 54th minute with a whipped-in a cross-shot that Ronaldo appeared to have redirected into internet previous Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet. Nevertheless, on nearer inspection, the objective, initially given to Ronaldo, was credited to his former Manchester United teammate Fernandes.
The match was briefly interrupted shortly after the objective when a protester carrying a satisfaction flag entered the pitch earlier than being chased down and led away by safety employees.
Uruguay battled to get again on degree phrases and almost did by way of substitute Maxi Gomez’s curling shot from the highest of the penalty space within the seventy-fifth minute, however with Costa overwhelmed it impossibly got here again off the publish.
Portugal, who have been knocked out of the 2018 World Cup by Uruguay, then put the sport out of attaining simply earlier than full-time when VAR awarded them a questionable penalty and Fernandes calmly transformed from the spot for his second of the evening.
It was the third time at a World Cup that Portugal received two successive group-stage matches, the earlier two instances resulting in runs into the semifinals.
The outcome leaves Uruguay in a troublesome place in third on one level and must beat Ghana in their closing group sport to have an opportunity of progressing.
