By Victor Kanayo
Portugal became the third participating country to book their place in the knockout stage of the ongoing 2022 World Cup in Qatar after defeating Uruguay on Monday night.
It was two classic goals by Bruno Fernandes that ensured that the Portuguese had their way at the end.
A game short on real quality saw the deadlock broken in the 54th minute when a cross from Bruno Fernandes floated beyond Uruguay keeper Sergio Rochet, the goal given to Manchester United’s midfield man despite Cristiano Ronaldo claiming it had glanced off his head.
Portugal made most of the running until they went ahead but Uruguay, who must now beat Ghana in their final Group H game to have a chance of qualifying, created chances of their own and could have taken a point.
Portugal wrapped up the win in stoppage time when Fernandes got his second from the spot after a video assistant referee intervention which adjudged Jose Gimenez had handled.
Fernandes almost got his hat-trick before the final whistle but saw a low shot strike the post.
The game was interrupted in the second half by a pitch invader carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Save Ukraine’ on the front and ‘Respect for Iranian woman’ on the back.
Also, one of the favourites Brazil surged into last 16 of the World Cup with a late Casemiro strike in their 1-0 win over Switzerland.
They were the second nation to reach knockout after France.
With Neymar missing the game due to an ankle injury, the five-time champions laboured for long periods of the match as they struggled to breakdown the determined defensive set up of their Group G opponents.
After Brazil’s win, Neymar tweeted: “Casemiro has been the best midfielder in the world for a long time”.
During the encounter, Casemiro made a game-high five interceptions – more than twice as many as any other player on the pitch.
