Portugal have booked their place in the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar with a 2-0 win against Uruguay at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail on Monday evening.
The win means that the 2016 European Championship winners are at the top of Group H at the moment with six points from two matches.
Portugal are three points ahead of second-placed Ghana, while South Korea and Uruguay are on one point each and are third and fourth respectively in the standings.
Fernando Santos’s side have ascertained their place in the knockout rounds at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and will win the group with maximum points against South Korea.
Even a defeat will suffice as long as Ghana do not win by a big margin against Uruguay.
Portugal got the better of Ghana 3-2 in their opening Group H match, and they were not particularly convincing against Uruguay either.
Manchester United attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes scored both the goals for Portugal against Uruguay.
Both the goals came in the second half.
Fernandes floated a cross that went beyond Uruguay international goalkeeper Sergio Rochet and into the net.
Cristiano Ronaldo, whose contract with Manchester United was recently terminated by mutual consent, claimed that it had glanced off his head, but FIFA gave the goal to Fernandes.
The United star doubled the lead for Portugal in the third minute of injury time from the penalty spot.
Uruguay star Jose Gimenez was adjudged to have handled the ball while trying to break his fall, and Fernandes made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Portugal can be backed at 10/1 on Betfair to go all the way in Qatar and win the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
This is what we learned from Portugal’s win against Uruguay on Monday evening:
Bruno Fernandes steps up when needed
Manchester United attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes was arguably the best player for Portugal against Uruguay on Monday evening. The playmaker scored both the goals and was a constant problem for the Uruguay defence. Fernandes has not always had the best of times over the past one or two years, but he really stepped up his game when needed. It was one of the best games from the attacking midfielder this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains a big threat
Cristiano Ronaldo could not score, but he was influential in Bruno Fernandes’s first goal for Portugal. After all, had the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward not tried to head the ball in, then the Uruguay goalkeeper would have caught it. Ronaldo was also more mobile in the match than we saw him this season at Manchester United, and it looked like he was trying to get involved into the game as well as score goals.
Uruguay need a miracle to go through
Uruguay were probably unlucky in some quarters against Portugal, especially with the penalty decision in the final minutes of the game, but they should have done much better upfront. Darwin Nunez had a disappointing game, and Edinson Cavani was largely anonymous. Luis Suarez looked a shadow of his former self after he came on as a substitute. Uruguay will take on Ghana in their final match. Ghana are second in the group and will be determined to win and get the job done. The African side have done better than Uruguay, who need a miracle now to go through.
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