Doha: With the conviction that the win will pave the way for the knockouts, Uruguay also won the Group H match and defeated Portugal in the pre-quarters, with the belief that if they hold the game, they can double their chances of being the first in the group. Parangipada booked their ticket to the knockouts with full points in two games on the strength of a pair of goals scored by Bruno Fernandes.
In the first half, both teams, who played by combining attack and defense, rushed in search of the opposite goal, and the movements returned without precision. Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, was a big money front. On the other hand, Darwin Nunes and Edinson Cavani stepped up to the Uruguayan moves. There were moments when Rono Sena came close to the goal with the advances of the right hand, but the feet forgot the goal.
Ronaldo’s free kick from 25 yards away in the 19th minute was the first scoring chance of the game. Mathias Vesino, who was waiting in front, headed the ball away. After 10 minutes, Bruno Fernandes headed the pass extended to the penalty box and rested in the goalie’s hands. The moves of Yoao Felix and Ruben Neves also ended in half-life. In the 33rd minute, Uruguay also got a beautiful goal moment. Rodrigo Bentenker’s move from the midfield seemed to go through the defense but was blocked by the goalie.
After the break, both teams seemed to be more active in their pursuit of goals. The goal that gave Portugal the lead came in the 54th minute after the Latin American defense split. Bruno Fernandes, who controlled the ball on the left, tried to head the ball to Ronaldo, who was waiting at the post, but it rested on the top post. The ball easily hit the net as the goalie jumped to the opposite side expecting Rono’s header. Ronaldo’s ecstatic celebration raised suspicions that the goal was scored, but later confirmed that it was Bruno.
With that, the two lines, which gained more agility, flew away with a thirst for gold. Attempts by Parangi to add to the lead and the Latin American team to fold put the field into a frenzy. The ball, which was rotating in both halves, came very close to the goal many times. In the 74th minute, Uruguay’s forward hit the bar and came back. Four minutes later, Suarez stepped on a free kick. In the next minute, he missed the goal again, but the goalie was the savior. For a long time, Uruguay was the only one in the picture who fought unwillingly to lose due to missed opportunities.
On the other hand, Bruno Fernandez’s moves led the gallery in non-stop noise with the uncharacteristic attacks. The Uruguayan’s effort to block Bruno’s move during the innings went under his feet and resulted in a penalty. The victory was 2 goals uncontested as Bruno easily scored the kick.
As the game moved towards the final whistle, Bruno hit the post to complete the hat-trick. With that, the Parangas came back victorious and qualified for the knockouts after putting the struggling Uruguay in a rain of sorrow.
This victory was sweet revenge for Portugal for the defeat by Uruguay in the last World Cup.