The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Ronaldo denied goal, Portugal tops Uruguay
LUSAIL, QATAR >> Cristiano Ronaldo thought he scored but the goal was eventually credited to Bruno Fernandes in Portugal’s 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday, a result that secured the team a place in the last 16 of the World Cup.
Fernandes curled in a cross from the left that barely went over the head of Ronaldo and bounced into the far corner of the net in the 54th minute to give Portugal a 1-0 lead.
Ronaldo wheeled away in celebration, believing he had scored his ninth World Cup goal and second of this year’s tournament.
After repeated close-up replays, it was awarded to Fernandes, who added a second goal from the penalty spot in stoppage time after a handball by Jose Maria Gimenez.
It was a second straight victory for Portugal, which became the third team to reach the last 16 after France and Brazil.
Uruguay has one point from two matches and needs to beat Ghana on Friday to stand a chance of advancing.
The match was briefly interrupted just before the goal by a protestor carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a blue Superman T-shirt that said “SAVE UKRAINE” on the front and “RESPECT FOR IRANIAN WOMAN” on the back.
Security officials chased the person down and the flag was dropped on the field.
BRAZIL 1, SWITZERLAND 0 >> Brazil overcame the absence of Neymar to beat Switzerland 1-0 and advance to the round of the 16 of the World Cup on Monday.
Casemiro scored in the 83rd minute with a shot from inside the area to put Brazil in the last 16 with a match to spare in Group G.
Brazil forward Neymar stayed at the team’s hotel treating a right ankle injury suffered in the opener in Qatar. Team doctors have not yet given a timetable on his return — or said if he will return at all.
The win gave Brazil six points from two matches, leaving Switzerland with three. Serbia and Cameroon, which drew 3-3 earlier Monday, have point each.
Switzerland, which had no attempts on target, 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 match between Brazil and Cameroon.
The result extended Brazil’s unbeaten run in the group stage to 17 matches, with 14 wins and three draws. It has lost only one of its last 29 group games, with the last defeat coming against Norway in 1998 in France.
Switzerland had lost only two of its last 13 group matches at the World Cup.
It was an even match early on, with both teams trying to control the game but not creating many significant chances. Without its injured playmaker, Brazil struggled to get near Switzerland’s area until Casemiro scored with a nice one-timer into the far corner, using the outside of his right foot in a shot that deflected slightly off defender Manuel Akanji.
Brazil coach
Tite replaced Neymar with midfielder Fred, freeing up Lucas Paquetá to play closer to the attack. Éder Militão, who plays as a central defender at Real Madrid, came in for Danilo in the right back position, instead of veteran Dani Alves.
With Paquetá not being able to create much for Brazil, Tite began the second half with Rodrygo in the team. Richarlison, who scored both of Brazil’s goals in the opener, was not as effective and was substituted in the second half.
Vinícius Júnior thought he had given Brazil the lead with a shot from inside the area after a pass by Casemiro in the 64th, but video review determined there was offside in the buildup. Few had noticed it until the VAR call was announced at Stadium 974.
GHANA 3, SOUTH KOREA 2 >> Mohammed Kudus scored twice, including the goahead goal after South Korea evened the match in the second half, and Ghana staved off elimination at the World Cup with a 3-2 victory on Monday.
Mohammed Salisu also scored for the Black Stars, who lost their opening match against Portugal and were in need of points for a chance to reach the knockout round in Qatar.
Down 2-0, Cho Geu-sung scored both of South Korea’s goals about three minutes apart early in the second half to even the game at 2-2.
But Kudus’ low leftfooted goal in the 68th minute sailed out of the reach of goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu to give the Black Stars back the lead. Goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi preserved the victory with a leaping save off Cho’s attempt in stoppage time.
South Korea forward Son Heung-min remained without a goal in Qatar. The Tottenham forward wore a mask to protect a broken left eye socket he sustained in a Champions League game against Marseille earlier this month.
South Korea coach Paulo Bento was handed a red card in the moments following the match after a heated exchange with English referee Anthony Taylor. The Portuguese coach was furious when South Korea won a corner at the end of 10 minutes of stoppage time, but the whistle was blown before it could be taken.
The red card means that Bento will not be on the sideline for South Korea’s final match against Portugal on Friday.
CAMEROON 3, SERBIA 3 >> Cameroon staged an impressive comeback in a 3-3 draw against Serbia at the World Cup despite replacing its goalkeeper at the last minute.
Andre Onana, who plays for Italian club Inter Milan, wasn’t in Cameroon’s lineup or even at the stadium to watch the Group G match.
Coach Rigobert Song said he dropped his starting goalkeeper for “disciplinary reasons,” but didn’t give any specifics.
“In a group you need to respect the rules that apply to everybody, and I prefer to ensure that the team takes precedence over individuals,” Song said. “If you can’t fit in with what’s required to be part of a squad, then I do think that you need to step up to the plate and accept responsibility for that.”