(CNN) — Rushing towards the corner flag with open arms on Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had equaled Portuguese Eusebio’s record as an all-time World Cup goalscorer.
His team-mates flocked to him to celebrate with the 37-year-old, while commentators and pundits praised him for lightly tapping Bruno Fernandes’ cross to deflect the ball past the Uruguayan goalkeeper.
Ronaldo scored his second goal in his second match at the 2022 World Cup and his ninth for Portugal at the World Cup. Or so we thought.
Cristiano Ronaldo tries to header against Uruguay. Credit: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
As the party atmosphere at the iconic Lusail Stadium heated up, the stadium announcer made a startling announcement.
The goal was awarded to Fernandes, not Ronaldo.
After the match, Fernandes admitted he thought Ronaldo had touched the ball.
“The feeling I had was that Cristiano had touched the ball. He was passing the ball to him,” Fernandes told reporters, according to Reuters, after Portugal’s 2-0 win that secured qualification for the round of 16 in the Qatar. .
“The important thing is that we progressed to the next round after playing against a very tough opponent.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes celebrate after Portugal’s victory over Uruguay at the 2022 World Cup. Credit: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images
Piers Morgan, who received an explosive TV interview from Ronaldo ahead of the World Cup about his frustrations at Manchester United leading to the termination of his contract with the club, was quick to praise the Portuguese striker, falling: “BOOM!!!!” and tagging Ronaldo with a photo of the Portuguese striker celebrating.
After the goal was awarded to Fernandes, three-time British Grand Slam tennis champion Andy Murray made sure Morgan was aware he had tagged the wrong player, r with this message: “I think @B_Fernandes8 is the Twitter account you’ve been looking for.”
Specsavers optometrists also suggested Morgan get an eye exam. “It was Bruno, do you need an appointment?” he said.
Granting the goal to Fernandes could always have been part of a larger cosmic plan, if Fernandes’ sons are to be believed.
“Before the match, my kids told me I would score two goals.” Fernandes told FIFA, who scored his second goal from a penalty.
When asked about the incident, Portugal coach Fernando Santos declined to go into detail and replied with a laugh: “I think it was a great match, our team played very well and the rest doesn’t matter to me.” . ” .
Adidas, the manufacturer of the World Cup ball, said in a statement sent to CNN that its technology proved Ronaldo did not touch the ball.
“In the match between Portugal and Uruguay, using the Connected Ball technology inside the official Adidas Al Rihla ball, we can definitively prove that there was no contact with Cristiano Ronaldo’s ball for the first goal of the match,” it reads. in the press release. . .
“It was not possible to measure any external forces on the ball, as evidenced by the absence of ‘beats’ in the measurements. The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows for a high level of accuracy in the analysis.”
CNN has contacted FIFA to ask if it will review its decision to award Fernandes the goal.
