Bruno Fernandes led Portugal to the round of 16.
The midfielder crowned a memorable match, a mixture of management, courage to venture into the Uruguayan fort, and cunning to score two goals in a territory that seemed inaccessible.
To qualify, Uruguay will have to beat Ghana on Friday and wait until Korea doesn't beat Portugal.
“Wine and Roast”, read the most visible banner that hung from the south end of the golden stadium in Lusail.
Without prejudice to the semiotic analysis, the Uruguayan fans projected two words that contained the sacred rite of the Charrúa communion.
Before soccer was imported to the shores of the Río de la Plata, the people recognized themselves gathered in an assembly around the stove.
It is no coincidence that the chronicle of the conquest described the death of the discoverer, Juan Díaz de Solís, as part of a barbecue in which he himself was sacrificed and eaten on the beach of Punta Gorda.
Solís's countrymen in Lusail did not suffer the same fate.
These charrúas are less bloody.
They barely practice arthroscopies with the heels of their boots, as Bentancur demonstrated in the recognition minutes with Rúben Dias's ankle, or Vecino in the second half with Neves' first metatarsal.
It was useless for Fernando Santos to raise his arms in protest to the judicial authority, the Iranian referee Alireza Faghani.
The yellow cards did not prevent the staggered interventions of the Uruguayan ax hackers or the dominance of the Portuguese, led by the brave Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
The United and City midfielders were the leaders of Portugal in the long process that involved hiding the ball from the rival.
When Rúben Dias and Carvalho began to search for them from behind with passes to the Uruguayan defensive heart, Bruno and Bernardo went in and out to receive and continue the play in the labyrinth of center-backs and pivots.
Too rigid to reach the quite, Godín, Coates and Giménez could never cope, not even with the help of Valverde, Vecino and Bentancur, increasingly tired of going back and forth without a prize.
Uruguay found themselves exposed but the most resounding chance of the first half came from Bentancur, when after a steal from Cavani he beat the distracted Neves, cut Dias, and almost missed Diogo Costa.
The party was arid but distracted.
A spontaneous toured the field with the LGTBI flag before being arrested.
The worst version of almost all emerged from the well.
Valverde did not appear.
Darwin Núñez appeared too much, sometimes as a substitute for a Portuguese centre-back, sometimes driving aimlessly, and all too often handing the ball over to the opponent.
The man was the victim of an episode of alienation before the desolate gaze of Cavani.
Portugal suffered to reach firing positions.
The lack of coordination between Cristiano and Bruno was reproduced promptly with gestures of reciprocal disapproval.
The misunderstandings culminated with a shot by Cristiano to his teammate's body, in an episode that revealed the difficulties of the most powerful team to refine the touch in the last meters, where the presence of the striker that the club is now looking for is exhausting for the opposing defenders and oppressive to his own companions.
Only after the hour of the game did Portugal confirm its dominant position with a play loaded with randomness.
Bruno Fernandes crossed a rained ball, Varela broke the offside position and Cristiano made as if to head in front of the confused goalkeeper.
With Rochet defeated, the ball went into the net without anyone else touching it but Bruno and the 1-0 score changed the dynamics of the game.
Forced to attack, the Uruguayans turned the long march of the first hour into a desperate charge.
Pellistri, Suárez and Maxi Gómez entered.
In ten minutes they produced a shot at the post by Maxi and a shot from point-blank range by Suárez.
The reply was relentless.
Bruno Fernandes threw a pipe at Giménez, who fell on his ass and touched the ball with his hand.
The referee signaled the penalty, Bruno executed and Uruguay was sentenced to run without hope.
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Classification
Group H | PT | P.J. | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 BY | 6 | two | two | 0 | 0 |
two GHA | 3 | two | 1 | 0 | 1 |
3 COR | 1 | two | 0 | 1 | 1 |
4 URU | 1 | two | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Group H | PT | P.J. | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 BY | 6 | two | two | 0 | 0 |
two GHA | 3 | two | 1 | 0 | 1 |
3 COR | 1 | two | 0 | 1 | 1 |
4 URU | 1 | two | 0 | 1 | 1 |
