Portugal lowers the Celeste

Bruno Fernandes after converting a penalty to seal Portugal’s 2-0 victory over Uruguay on Monday in Group H of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the turf of Lusail Stadium. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP

While waiting for Lionel Messi, still in the waiting room with his Argentina, Ronaldo joins Kylian Mbappe’s France and Neymar’s Brazil in the top 16. The Portuguese star, now without a club, has vowed to shine in Qatar to prove himself to the football world. football, and especially at Manchester United, from whom he just divorced with a bang, that he still has a voice at 37 years old.

After the first victory over the Ghanaian Black Stars (3:2), the Portuguese Selesao lead Group H with six points, ahead of Ghana (3 points), then Uruguay and South Korea (1 point).

Portugal would only need one point against the Koreans to take first place and thus a priori avoid Brazil in the round of 16. “We are not yet sure that we will be in the lead, we want to be the first,” said Portuguese coach Fernando Santos.

“If we have to face Brazil, it will be a great game, but I don’t think Brazil wants us to meet in the 1/8 finals, but rather after,” he added.

rainbow flag

At the Lusail Stadium, the largest of the tournament’s eight hosts (88,622 seats), where Ronaldo hopes to return on December 18 to play in the final, the Portuguese initially resisted a physical duel forced by Diego Godin’s Uruguay. break thanks to Bruno Fernandes.

First there was a moment of hesitation, caused by a brief intrusion on the lawn by a man with a rainbow flag and wearing a T-shirt in support of Iranian women, arrested and calmly escorted by security.

Did Portugal then benefit from some deconcentration on the part of the Uruguayans? A few minutes later, Bruno Fernandes, after an excellent job on the left flank, was looking for a header from Cristiano Ronaldo, who was on the verge of offside. If the now ex-Mancunian’s triumph suggested that he really was the first hitter, then the replays show that he clearly did not touch the ball (except with the tips of his hair). The center kick was first awarded by FIFA to the CR7 player before being logically returned to his teammate (54th).

“Who scored the first goal? I think it was a great match and the rest doesn’t count,” Santos evacuated, refusing at a press conference to stir up any kind of ego war between two players whose relationship sometimes seems rather cold. “I said that my team is very close-knit and we give answers,” the coach added.

Minimalist “Celeste”

For the revenge of the 1/8 finals of the last World Cup 2018, won by Uruguay (2:1), the last word again remained with Fernandez, who folded the cards in extra time on penalties (90 + 3rd) and almost tripled

on the move (90 + 9th).

Overall, Portugal often collectively mastered the game, confirming the buildup. In contrast, Celeste struggled to put pressure on the Portuguese defense, with their attacking duo Darwin Nunez-Edinson Cavani barely touching about twenty balls and being invisible.

Rodrigo Bentancur got Uruguay’s best chance of the game after beating the returning Portuguese Pepe, but collided with Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the first half. Coming into the game instead of Cavani (72nd), Suarez also missed a frame at the end of the match.

La Celeste is now forced to beat Ghana to hope to reach the round of 16 against the Black Stars determined to wash away the bad memories of the quarter-finals they lost 12 years ago in South Africa. The image of this rescue on the line of the same Luis Suarez hand, when the two teams were drawn (1:1) and we played in the very last seconds of extra time, will inevitably surface Ghanaian memories. when meeting him again this Friday.

“It will be a decisive match, but it has nothing to do with what happened twelve years ago,” assured South American coach Diego Alonso, who showed “great confidence” in his players despite two goalless matches: “The next match will be tough, but we will win and qualify. “Not sure if the Black Stars are hearing it this way, especially after their stunning 3-2 victory over South Korea a few hours earlier on Monday.

Source: AFP.

Source: L Orient Le Jour

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