Christiano Ronaldo missed his chance to direct the ball for a goal. That still did not stop Portugal from qualifying for the next round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Uruguay was unable to stop Bruno Fernandes from netting his shots two times. Once it happened in the 54th minute and the second shot went in during the 90+3 minutes.
France and Brazil have already made their way to the Round of 16, making Portugal the third team to confirm their spot.
Uruguay fought hard throughout, but Diogo Costa was more capable of pushing the shots away. Rodrigo Bentancur tackled Mendes and Dias for a close-range shot. Costa happened to be a better savior. Portugal reclaimed the possession and handed it over to Felix.
A pass to Fernandes sufficed the purpose while Christiano Ronaldo attempted to make contact with the shot. The direction was less needed as the ball went to the goal anyway. Ronaldo would have added a shot on target to his name if contact had been made.
The winning edge of 1-0 was not equalized by Uruguay despite having to bring three substitutes. Gomez went for an 18-yard shot, Arrascaeta missed the chance with a wide, and Suarez’s shot went outside the box. The big blow came during the extra time after 90 minutes. It was a courtesy of Uruguay’s Gimenez for going full handball within the box.
Fernandes was quick to review the dynamics before shooting at the bottom left corner. Group H is almost done for Portugal, as they have qualified for the next round. As for Uruguay, the side faces Ghana in their next encounter. It will be a must-win match to keep the winning hopes alive of the fans.
Ghana plans to come strong after their 3-2 victory against South Korea. Cho Gue-sung scored a double with no match to Kudus, who Salisu assisted in scoring the third goal.
Salisu opened the account in the 24th minute, followed by Kudus, who scored his first after 10 minutes. Cho went for a double in the 58th and 61st minutes before Kudus retaliated in the 68th minute for the winning goal.
Uruguay has so far lost a match and drawn a match. It will have to win the next match with a huge margin to go above Ghana in terms of goal difference. Only then can it qualify for the Round of 16.
Portugal will be against South Korea, which should be an easy win for the Southern European country. South Korea will qualify for the knockout if it manages to win, even by a single goal. This leaves Uruguay vs. Ghana with no value. Either team winning will take them to 4 points, while South Korea will make it 6 after clinching a victory against Portugal.
That being said, Portugal looks to make the presence of Pepe as valuable as possible. Pepe is the oldest in the tournament at 39 years. A remarkable performance by Pepe and the side will make everything worth it.
