Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes was man of the match as Portugal beat Uruguay to book their place in the World Cup round of 16 in Qatar.
Fernandes was credited by FIFA with the first Portuguese goal in the 54th minute, although Cristiano Ronaldo claimed it. It will never really be known whether or not he touched the 37-year-old’s head.
There was no doubt who was responsible for Portugal’s second. In stoppage time, Fernandes brought down the Uruguayan defender, but the ball hit his hand after going through his legs and VAR called the referee to award a penalty.
United’s magnificent dispatched the penalty coolly with his stuttering walk and jumping technique that sent the goalkeeper down the wrong path.
At the other end, United target Diogo Costa made two excellent saves to help his team overcome a difficult draw.
The first, in the 34th minute, saw him run fast and open up when Bentancur was on goal.
He pulled off another promising Uruguay attack in the 78th minute in what was a dominating performance, following their nervous opener against Ghana.
United are reported to have asked to be kept informed of any further interest in Costa, who FC Porto recently signed to a new deal with a €75m release.
With David de Gea’s expensive contract coming to an end, the Portuguese goalkeeper is very much in the showcase at this tournament.
Another United-related player, Joao Félix, put in an intense performance but didn’t connect particularly well with Cristiano Ronaldo up front.
Rumors of United transfer targets were everywhere, with striker Gonçalo Ramos replacing Ronaldo with around 10 minutes to go and looking animated.
Ramos and potentially Dalot are likely to have a chance to shine in Portugal’s final group game against South Korea as the first-team starters are likely to rest ahead of the round of 16.
