"It seemed to me that he had touched the ball" - Bruno Fernandes admits that he thought Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo had scored the first goal
Portugal superstar Bruno Fernandes has admitted that he initially thought Cristiano Ronaldo had netted the opening goal against Uruguay on Monday night (28 November).
Following a tense first half, Portugal scored two second-half goals to secure a 2-0 win over Uruguay in their Group H encounter on Monday. Fernandes was ultimately credited with both goals, but there was a lot of confusion when declaring the scorer of the first one.
In the 54th minute, Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo rose the highest to try and meet Fernandes’ cross. The former Manchester United man, seemingly confident that he made contact with the delivery, wheeled away in celebration after the ball hit the back of the net.
The officials, however, declared that Ronaldo had not touched Fernandes’ cross and awarded the goal to the Manchester United attacking midfielder.
Did Cristiano Ronaldo get a touch? 👀 https://t.co/y7RkN5OXgL
Speaking after the match, Fernandes admitted that he aimed to put in a cross for Cristiano Ronaldo, adding that he initially thought it was the 37-year-old who had scored. Fernandes said (via the Mirror):
“I celebrated as if it had been Cristiano's goal. It seemed to me that he had touched the ball. My aim was to cross the ball for him.
He continued:
“We are happy with the victory regardless of who scored. The most important thing is that we achieved our aim which is to be in the next round.”
Had Ronaldo made noticeable contact with Fernandes’ delivery, he would have become Portugal’s joint-highest goalscorer in World Cup history, matching Eusebio’s tally of nine goals.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos refuses to comment on Cristiano Ronaldo's goal controversy
Having guided Portugal to the knockout round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, coach Fernando Santos had nothing but praise for his players. He refused to delve into the controversy surrounding Fernandes’ first goal, and instead lauded Cristiano Ronaldo and his peers for their impressive display against Uruguay.
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DAVID VILLA:
"Cristiano Ronaldo didn't touch the ball, but without him, the ball wouldn't go in." https://t.co/J9BkBZMIIc
Speaking to the press, Santos said:
“Ronaldo played a great game but all our team played a great performance. I think it was a great match, our team played very well and the rest for me does not matter.”
Portugal are currently sitting at the top of Group H with six points from two games. A point against South Korea on Friday (2 December) would see them progress into the last 16 as Group H winners.