Portugal pulls efficiency to get the ticket to the round of 16 of the World Cup
The Portuguese team, with a brace from Bruno Fernandes, takes revenge for four years ago and leaves Uruguay on the ropes
MADRID, 28 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Portugal team became another of the holders of the ticket for the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar after beating this Monday 2-0, with a brace from Bruno Fernandes, a Uruguay that pressed late and that, with only a point to his credit and without having scored yet, he is left on the ropes within Group H.
The sporting revenge of the round of 16 duel of the 2018 World Cup in Russia was this time for the Portuguese, who knew how to take advantage of their options in a match where they always seemed to want more than a rival who, despite this, surely enjoyed good chances to have obtained a better result for the game offered for many minutes.
And it is that the two-time world champion chose to be more conservative from her line-up, with a defense of five, which worked for her to control any offensive attempt by Fernando Santos’ men, but for little else because she could not get too close to the penalty area. Diogo Costa, with very little from Fede Valverde and with Darwin Núñez and Edinson Cavani completely disabled by Ruben Dias and the veteran Pepe.
Portugal almost always dominated the game and was the one that tried the most in these first 45 minutes. However, the clearest chance came from Uruguay, thanks to a great run started from a distance by Rodrigo Bentancur, who found no opposition and went one-on-one against Diogo Costo who managed to cover the shot. It was the highlight of a first act that also left Nuno Mendes injured in a final stretch where Uruguay felt more comfortable.
PORTUGAL STARTS BETTER
The scenario of the duel changed at the beginning of the second half. Portugal started better again and after a warning in a transition from Joao Felix, whose shot crashed into the side of Rochet’s net, they took the lead. Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in the heart of the area to, apparently, hit a good delivery from Bruno Fernandes with his head just enough to make it 1-0. The one from Madeira celebrated it, but FIFA, however, will end up giving the assistant the goal.
Uruguay was on the brink of the abyss, but had no ability to react because the Portuguese defense was firm. Diego Alonso looked for solutions and undid the defense of five with the entries of Pellistri and De Arrascaeta, and then brought on Maxi Gómez and Luis Suárez up for an innocuous Darwin Núñez and Edinson Cavani. Fernando Santos, before the appearance of spaces, was also ambitious and introduced Rafael Leao by Ruben Neves.
Then, the wood, as happened against South Korea in the premiere, crossed again in the path of the two-time world champion, who saw how the post repelled the shot from outside by Maxi Gómez. This option encouraged the Uruguayan team that lived its best moments with two other good opportunities from Luis Suárez, who finished off a lost ball in the area after a foul, and from De Arrascaeta, who ran into the quick exit of Diego Costa.
Santos then decided to save the precious booty he had and retired Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo to put in more fresh and containment legs. The measure took effect and the ‘tugas’ managed to experience an end without stress with the penalty by the hand of José María Giménez and after the VAR warning, noted in the addition by a Bruno Fernandes, who was still able to sign the triplet before the end of the clash with two more occasions, one of them crashed against the post.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: PORTUGAL, 2 – URUGUAY, 0 (0-0, at halftime).
–LINE-UPS.
PORTUGAL: Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Nuno Mendes (Warrior, min.42); Bernardo Silva, Neves (Rafael Leao, min.69), Carvalho (Nunes, min.82), Bruno Fernandes; Joao Félix (Gonçalo Ramos, min.82) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Palhinha, min.82).
URUGUAY: Rochet; Varela, Godin (De Arrascaeta, min.62), Gimenez, Coates, Olivera (Vine, min.86); Neighbor (Pellistri, min.62), Bentancur, Valverde; Darwin Nunez (Maxi Gomez, 72nd minute) and Cavani (Luis Suarez, 73rd minute).
–GOALS.
1-0, minute 54. Bruno Fernandes.
2-0, minute 93. Bruno Fernandes, from the penalty spot.
–REFEREE: Alireza Faghani (IRN). He admonished Ruben Neves (min.38) and Joao Felix (min.77), and Rúben Dias (min.89), for Portugal, and Bentancur (min.6) and Olivera (min.44), for Uruguay.
–STADIUM: Iconic of Lusail.