Portugal 2-0 Uruguay
Portugal became the third nation to qualify for the World Cup 2022 knockouts after beating Uruguay 2-0 at Lusail Stadium last night.
Bruno Fernandes’ brace was enough to send the Selecao through with a game to spare, and they’ll likely face the second placers in Group G – which will be fought over between Switzerland, Cameroon, and Serbia.
The said result means that there’s only one more ticket to the knockouts in Group H where it’ll all boil down to the final group stage matchday. As of this writing, Ghana are in pole position with three points, but their spot is not yet guaranteed according to the World Cup 2022 odds.
With another fun match in the books, let’s recall what happened as SBOTOP reviews yesterday’s World Cup 2022 highlights.
Highlights of the game
Portugal were in control for much of the first half, but Uruguay had the best chance as they almost stole the lead.
During the 33rd minute, Rodrigo Bentancur marauded past multiple Portuguese defenders, only to be denied by Diogo Costa, who rushed out of the post when he sensed the danger.
Before the end of the first half, Nuno Mendes left the pitch in tears as he went down after an awkward landing and he was eventually replaced by Raphael Guerreiro.
The 20-year-old already sustained a hamstring injury even before the tournament started and he wasn’t featured during their first match against Ghana.
The Selecao put on a much better display in the second half following an incident where a protester ran onto the pitch while waving a rainbow flag. The pitch invader was wearing a shirt that has “Save Ukraine” written out front and “Respect Iranian Women” placed at the back.
At the 54th minute, Bruno Fernandes crossed the ball into the box for Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Fernandes was credited with the score since Ronaldo’s head did not make contact with the ball which carried on to the back of the net.
Uruguay then played with a bigger sense of urgency since they were trailing, but their underwhelming attack reared its ugly head.
Substitute Maxi Gomez hit the post from the edge of the box with his first-time effort at the 73rd minute. Fellow subs Luis Suarez and Giorgian de Arrascaeta were also left to rue their missed opportunities.
Then the final nail in the coffin came in added time when Portugal were awarded a penalty after an unfortunate handball by Jose Gimenez. The Atletico Madrid centre-back tried to challenge Bruno Fernandes, but the ball grazed through his left hand as he was falling down.
The Manchester United captain then capped off the night with his low drive to seal the deal for the Selecao.
Key statistics
Portugal have won their two opening group games of a World Cup for the third time ever. They last did it in 1966 and 2006 when they reached the semi-finals on both instances.
Uruguay have gone scoreless in three consecutive World Cup games for only the second time ever, and their last barren run was a stretch between 1986 and 1990.
Only Brazil (0) and Ecuador (1) have faced fewer shots on target by their opposition at a World Cup game than Uruguay (3). However, two of those three yesterday turned into goals for Portugal.
Bruno Fernandes is undoubtedly the driving force for Portugal since he has been directly involved in eight goals in his last five caps for the Selecao (five goals and three assists).
Portugal skipper Pepe made his 130th cap yesterday after replacing the injured Danilo Pereira in the starting XI – third-most behind Joao Moutinho and Cristiano Ronaldo. The 39-year-old was also the second oldest outfield player in World Cup history behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla (42 years old).
What’s next?
Portugal will take on South Korea for their final group stage match where the latter is under significant pressure to win. Uruguay, meanwhile, meet Ghana next in another must-win game.
Should Uruguay win and South Korea lose or draw, La Celeste are the ones who will advance to the knockout phase and will square off against the first placers in Group G.
On the other hand, if South Korea win and Uruguay lose or draw, the Taeguk Warriors are the team who’s moving on, which means that they’ll finally put an end to their knockout stage drought.
But if both Uruguay and South Korea draw, then Ghana are advancing to the next phase for the first time since 2010 where they went to as far as the quarter-finals.
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