Doha is not Manchester. If Cristiano Ronaldo was treated like a kid at the club, in Qatar he occupies the place he deserves: that of one of the best players of all time. Captain of Portugal, his magical football against Ghana had propelled his country to the top of group H. Against Uruguay, on behalf of the second day of the group, it was with his captain’s armband that he led the attack on the his country.
No. He didn’t find the back of the net, but his 53rd-minute jump on Fernandes’ ball forced the goalkeeper to remain paralysed. And the ball got stuck in the nets. This goal at this precise moment in the match helped change the pace of the match.
Opposite, Uruguay, in their characteristic style, looked for the error in the Portuguese defence. Opponents stayed put, however, and didn’t back down on calls and countercalls from forward duo Darvin Nunez-Edinson Cavani.
Rodrigo Bentancur could have hurt the Portuguese when with swinging dribbles he got in front of the Portuguese goalkeeper. Diogo Costa remained intractable. Suarez could have changed the course of things too, but the post will return his shot.
Portugal will benefit from a stoppage time penalty, Bruno Fernandes, once again, scoring another goal. 2-0. He will need a point against the Koreans to secure first place in the group. The goal is to avoid Brazil in the round of 16.
“We’re not sure if we’re in the lead yet, we want to be first,” said Fernando Santos, the Portuguese coach.
Uruguay still has a chance to qualify. And that will come through a win against Ghana. Provisionally classified runners-up in Group H, the selection of captain Ayew recalls the round of 16 of the last World Cup, in 2018, won by Uruguay. Suarez had prevented a goal by catching a ball with his hand. Then the penalty was not converted by Gyan. Ghana ended up losing the match.
