Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
IT’S ON ME HEAD, RON
But hero Bruno gets the nod for Cristiano’s ‘goal’
WHEN Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo met up on the eve of this World Cup, it is fair to say the relationship looked a little strained.
Fernandes denied there was any issue – of course he did – but whatever the reason for the pretournament frostiness, it is fair to say the Portuguese pair are getting along famously again.
So maybe Fernandes will only chuckle and forgive his former Manchester United team-mate for trying to claim the goal that swayed this contest in Portugal’s favour and helped secure their place in the knockout stages.
But being the two players who brought a bit of class to fairly ordinary proceedings, perhaps the pair deserved to share the credit anyway.
And while Fernandes was the one orchestrating Portugal’s attacking manoeuvres, and the man of the match, there is no escaping the fact Ronaldo remains box office.
Again, organisers claim there was another capacity crowd – 88,668 – inside the Lusail Stadium but it was hardly a febrile atmosphere.
Instead, there was, indeed, a distinct feel of Ronaldo tourism about the place. Clearly, the locals were here to see one man and he did his best to entertain them.
There were a few pointless stepovers but there were also some fairly impressive party tricks, including an outrageous pass with one of his pectoral muscles that presented William Carvalho with a shooting chance that he spooned into the stands.
One prodigious leap and header also invited Fernandes to have a crack, but his effort was more of a danger to the corner flag than to Sergio Rochet, the Uruguayan goalkeeper.
Those two Portuguese efforts typified their firsthalf performance – largely dominant but largely unthreatening.
In contrast, Uruguay were largely defensive but occasionally threatening, no more so than when Rodrigo Bentancur took the ball from inside his own half into prime sporting position, only to see Diogo Costa deny him with his backside.
That was just after the half-hour mark and Tottenham ace Bentancur was still cursing as he made his way down the tunnel at the interval.
And he was probably still cursing 10 minutes into the second-half as Ronaldo leapt to try and connect with a Fernandes cross, missed connection by a gelled hair’s breadth but saw the ball drift inside the post. Ronaldo appeared to wheel away claiming his ninth World Cup goal. But there was no trademark celebration, maybe a crucial shard of evidence to suggest he knew it was one for Bruno (left, celebrating). And, of course, Portugal boss Fernando Santos did not care. He just cared that Maxi Gomez was denied an equaliser by an upright and that substitute Luis Suarez saw his predatory instincts fail him when he toe-poked a halfchance wide. By then, Ronaldo’s work was done and Portugal’s progression to the last 16 was rubberstamped by a ridiculous Varaided decision by Alireza Faghani, who penalised Jose Gimenez for handball, allowing Fernandes to collect his second of the night, this time from the spot. And not even Ronaldo could claim that one.