Portugal, Brazil advance to last 16
Cristiano Ronaldo wheeled away in celebration, acting as though he had scored once again at the World Cup. Not this time.
Instead, it was Bruno Fernandes eventually credited with the goal that set up Portugal’s 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday, advancing the team into the last 16.
Fernandes curled in a cross from the left that barely went over the head of the leaping Ronaldo and bounced into the far corner of the net in the 54th minute to give Portugal a 1-0 lead.
A grinning Ronaldo threw his arms in the air, suggesting he got the final touch, and was embracing Fernandes as multiple close-up replays were being shown on the big screens in Lusail Stadium.
Alas for Ronaldo, the goal wound up being awarded to Fernandes, who added a second from the penalty spot in stoppage time after a handball by Jose Maria Gimenez as he slid in to challenge the Manchester United playmaker.
“I don’t really think it matters who scored,” Fernandes said about the first goal. “The feeling at the time was that he (Ronaldo) touched the ball — I was crossing it to him — but what’s important was we moved into the next round and beat a very big opponent.”
Fernandes was denied a hat trick with virtually the last kick of the game, his shot from outside the area hitting the post and bouncing wide.
Portugal opened with a 3-2 win over Ghana.
Uruguay has one point from two matches and needs to beat Ghana, which edged South Korea 3-2 earlier, on Friday to stand a chance of advancing. The 2010 semifinalists have yet to score a goal at this tournament, with coach Diego Alonso even putting 35-year-old striker Luis Suarez on the bench in search of the right combination up front.
Portugal has no such worries. The team has scored five goals in two games and Fernandes has had a hand in four of them as he dictates play in his role as the team’s No. 10.
Ronaldo was unable to add to the penalty he scored against Ghana, which took his World Cup tally to eight goals from five tournaments and his men’s record of international goals to 118.
A draw against South Korea in its final Group H match will secure first place for Portugal.
Missing Neymar, Brazil still moves on: Struggling and unconvincing without Neymar on the field, Brazil still played well enough to secure a spot in the next round of the World Cup.
The five-time champions overcame the absence of their injured star to beat Switzerland 1-0 with a late goal and make it to the round of 16 with a match to spare in Group G.
“Of course we miss Neymar,” Brazil coach Tite said. “The team loses a lot without him. But we also have other players who can get the job done, as we saw it today.”
Casemiro got the only goal in the 83rd minute of a game in which Brazil had difficulties creating scoring chances without its main playmaker. The defensive midfielder scored with a one-timer into the far corner, using the outside of his right foot for a shot that deflected slightly off defender Manuel Akanji.
“We knew that it wasn’t going to be easy,” Casemiro said. “Out first objective was to advance and we achieved that.”
Neymar stayed at the team’s hotel to treat a right ankle injury sustained in the opener in Qatar. He posted an Instagram story showing him watching the match on television while undergoing treatment on his foot.
Team doctors have not yet given a timetable for Neymar’s return — or said if he will return at all. Vinícius Júnior said Neymar also had a fever, though the team hadn’t officially said anything about it.
The win in Stadium 974 gave Brazil six points from two matches, leaving Switzerland with three. Serbia and Cameroon, which drew 3-3 earlier, have one point each.
Switzerland needs a win in the last match against Serbia to guarantee its spot in the next stage. A draw may be enough depending on the Brazil-Cameroon match.
Enner Valencia has scored Ecuador’s last six World Cup goals, so there’s no understating how worried his country is after he was carried off the field on a stretcher against the Netherlands.
Ecuador hopes that the 33-year-old striker’s troublesome knees are OK for a decisive final Group A match against Senegal on Tuesday. He hurt his right knee against the Netherlands after spraining his left knee in the first game against Qatar.
He was up and walking a little while after that stretcher ride with an ice pack strapped to his right leg and coach Gustavo Alfaro said Monday that Valencia might be ready to start against Senegal, although he could have to come off the bench.
“He has a big heart and he wants to be in every battle with our national team,” Alfaro said. “... He’s an extraordinary player and we’ll try and get him ready.”
Ecuador’s captain has three goals in two games in Qatar and is clearly key to its chances of reaching the knockout stage for only the second time. He scored three in three games in Ecuador’s last World Cup appearance in 2014, but that wasn’t enough to advance in Brazil.
La Tri have a slight advantage this time by needing a win or a draw to be certain of going through. Senegal has to win to be sure of advancing.