Bruno Fernandes left Uruguay on the verge of knockout and showed Portugal is much more than Cristiano Ronaldo

Everyone came to the Lusail stadium to see Cristiano Ronaldo, the legend. But he was, in the end, a show by Bruno Fernandes. He scored two goals, but it could have been three or four. He was the bishop for Portugal will beat Uruguay 2-0, which appeared from time to time.

Two plays and two wins for the Europeans, who have already won, without suffering, in the round of 16.

One point out of six for Celeste, who they will have to beat Ghana yes or yes on Friday to avoid unwanted elimination.

Portugal is one of the handpicked teams that enforce themselves early in this World Cup in Qatar 2022. Even though Cristiano Ronaldo is not the same as before, he is still Cristiano Ronaldo and raises mutters every time the ball lands at his feet. And you are not alone: Bernardo Silva pulls the strings from the center and Joao Félix and Bruno Fernandes, who would disguise as a superhero, only disturb by moving. However, with so many options to choose from, the Europeans found it difficult to create scoring situations early on.

It is that Celeste came out willing not to give anything to Lusail, this giant who has already seen Argentina cry and smile. With Jose María Giménez, Diego Godín and Sebastián Coates in the background and with Guillermo Varela and Mathías Olivera sometimes as forward scorers and sometimes as flying wingers, manager Diego Alonso found the balance so that his midfielders (Vecino, Bentancur and Valverde) could little by little win the turf battle without needing to have much of the ball.

Thus, Uruguay’s goal was away from those monsters of world football. Sebastián Rochet barely had two interventions that didn’t worry him too much: a header from Fernandes from an angle and a chest check from CR7, awkward to insert the sword. Earlier, as soon as the match had begun, the legend who today has no club had paid for the ticket with a chest assist for William Carvalho which he defined high and far.

Indeed, Uruguay were closest in their only approach in the first 45 minutes. It was when Rodrigo Bentancur put his foot down, started leaving red players on the street and, as he entered the area, tricked Rubén Dias and Pepe with a dribble to go face to face with Diogo Costa, who went off quickly and ended up scaring away danger. It was very clear.

In the second half, Portugal continued to control the ball. Uruguay waited and tried to get out quickly. As quick as the man who walked onto the pitch wearing an LGBTQ+ rainbow flag and a Superman T-shirt that read “Save Ukraine.” He ran until he was brutally tackled by an NFL-style safety guard.

It was just before Bernardo Silva led a full-speed attack and unloaded for Joao Félix, who went just wide at the near post. It was a warning. Because in the next game, when 9 minutes of the complement had passed, Bruno Fernandes’ one-man started. And interesting things always come out of his way.

It was, in reality, an 8 cross from the top of the box. It looked like Cristiano Ronaldo’s pinpoint hairstyle, enabled by nothing but finally enabled. It was his ninth cry in 19 World Cup matches. The second in Qatar. Hand. The Bug was unable to touch the ball. He shouted and celebrated the goal as his own, but Fernandes’ name was marked on the sheet.

The disadvantage forced Uruguay to change their script. Not only did he start to have more control, but he also changed names and patterns. Pellistri and De Arrascaeta came on for Godín and Vecino and transformed that flexible 5-3-2 into a 4-3-3. However, Darwin Núñez, with his solitary bullfights, was not enough to cause concern in Portugal.

With La Celeste in attack mode, the game went back and forth. Uruguay was looking, but it was difficult for them to finish games well. Portugal felt comfortable playing against. Diego Alonso moves the bench again: inside Luis Suárez and Maxi Gómez in place of Núñez and Cavani. And he was curious. In the first the Valencia player touched, he almost gave his side an equalizer with a deflected shot from the croissant that crashed into Diogo Costa’s far post. And in the first sounded by the gunslinger, his shot hit the side of the net.

Uruguay continued to look for an equalizer. And it came close: because Bentancur gave it to the tireless Valverde and the Real Madrid midfielder put in a nice pass to De Arrascaeta, who wanted to poke the goalkeeper, but the definition of him was not successful. The noisy Celeste minority made itself heard. There were, finally, good feelings. Not to mention when Lucho Suárez narrowly headed Pellistri’s cross. It was 10 minutes of domination. And of hope.

However, Fernando Santos cooled everything right away. Out Ronaldo, Joao Félix and Carvalho to rearm the set-up and have no more flushes. And it was. Even more after the VAR saw a hand from Giménez – who had already claimed all of Portugal – and cashed in penalty that Bruno Fernandes was tasked with converting into a goal in the 45th minute.

It could have been a blow and a hat-trick from the Manchester United player, but first Rochet and then the stick, both times already on sale, left him without a bonus track.

Understood: Portugal is not just Cristiano Ronaldo. And Uruguay? He is still alive, but the cost will be very high.

Doha, Qatar. Special delivery.