Uruguay’s listless World Cup performance continued today with a 2-0 loss against Group H favorites Portugal, in a close contest decided by two goals from man-of-the-match Bruno Fernandes. Uruguay now run the risk of being eliminated in the tournament’s first round.
Fernandes targeted superstar Cristiano Ronaldo with a cross nine minutes into the second half, and Uruguay’s keeper Sebastián Rochet was left flat footed as the ball crept into the net untouched for the opener — although Ronaldo celebrated as if he had scored.
Late on, Portugal won a penalty after a controversial handball from José Maria Giménez. Fernandes stepped up and coolly slotted his spot kick into the net, sending Rochet the wrong way. The ball hit Giménez’s supporting arm as he sought to block a Fernandes pass — the International Football Association Board rules are explicit in saying such incidents should not be penalized.
The victory served as payback for the 2018 World Cup, when the two-time world champions eliminated Portugal in the last 16, with two strikes from Edinson Cavani.
Now, to have any chance of qualifying from Group H, Uruguay must win their final match on Friday against Ghana — another old adversary. In the 2010 World Cup, Uruguay famously eliminated Ghana in the quarter-final stage, in controversial circumstances. Late on in that game, striker Luis Suárez illegally blocked a certain winning goal for Ghana, who went on to miss the resulting penalty. Uruguay won that tie in a shootout.
Uruguay’s attacking unit struggled to get going against Portugal, with Cavani and Darwin Núñez offering little. Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was their standout performer, very nearly scoring a wonder goal in the first half after a mazy run through the middle.
Second-half substitutes breathed life into the Uruguay side, who managed to carve out several opportunities to equalize — none better than when Maximiliano Gómez struck the post, the third time in two games Uruguay have hit the woodwork.
The match was briefly interrupted when a fan ran onto the pitch waving the LGBTQIA+ rainbow flag, likely protesting Qatar’s repressive laws on sexual diversity.
With one game to play, Uruguay are currently bottom of Group H. And a win against Ghana on Friday might not even be enough to win them a place in the last 16, a South Korea victory over Portugal could see the Asian side grab the second qualification spot.
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