The biggest sporting event in the world continues with the Group H Portugal v Uruguay clash that gives you more Ronaldo and also features his team who should continue on their merry way to knockout stages.
With so many games and so little time, our Group H Portugal v Uruguay Match Centre tries to sum it all up as quickly as possible before and after the game and with just a hint of cynicism. If you wanted professional and/or good you’d be on the BBC website, not here. Essentially, we watch and follow the game so you don’t have to.
With answers to the key questions prior to the match and our Minutes that Mattered summary and stats post game, it is a real Who Cares guide to the 2022 World Cup for the person on the go.
Enjoy the Group H Portugal v Uruguay Match Centre.
KICKOFF – MONDAY 28TH NOV – 22:00 (QATAR) 19:00 (UK) 06:00 (AEDT)
Group H Portugal v Uruguay Match Review
Portugal have beaten Uruguay 2-0 to make it two wins from two and top Group H and basically qualify for the knockout stage.
Minutes that Mattered
Welcome to the briefest of match summaries, like a minute by minute you find on professional websites except one that has only the minutes that matter. All wheat, no chaff.
And if the below isn’t enough, for those in Australia you can catch up via the SBS World Cup on Demand.
3’ Min Get your pens ready, mark down Cristiano Ronaldo for an unselfish play. It was a nice move from Portugal early as it went throw in – shoulder pass from Ronaldo – blasted shot not far away. Would have been a cool goal if it went in.
6’ Min An early yellow card in a game where niggle is expected. It was Uruguay’s Rodrigo Bentancur for appearing to stamp on Ruben Diaz’s foot while walking past.
11’ Min Darwin Nunez earns a corner after a long run down the left and celebrates by angrily kicking the advertising board and mouthing off to the crowd. We can’t confirm whether it was Bud Zero and he was making a political statement. For the record the corner yielded nothing but an added stat for corner fans.
17’ Min Free kick to Portugal just outside the penalty area, and Cristiano Ronaldo stand over it with all the drama you’d expect. We also expected it not to hit the wall and bounce away for a corner too, but there you go.
30’ Min Half an hour gone and the game has become a bit of an arm wrestle. And a game looking increasingly likely to be 0-0 at half time like half of the other games this World Cup.
32’ Min Big chance for Uruguay. Rodrigo Bentancur finds himself in space in the penalty area, and has a one on one with the keeper but he is unable to avoid kicking the ball straight into the keeper. Which may feel good if you don’t like the person and he’s a jerk, but ultimately you also probably wanted to score, so wonder he was a bit annoyed with himself.
38’ Min Free kick to Uruguay and interesting tactic from the Portuguese defender who must have been inspired by Samoa’s recent World Cup success as he attempted to rugby league tackle the Uruguayan attacker as he was running past. It did earn a yellow card. And Uruguay did nothing with the free kick.
HALF TIME – PORTUGAL 0 URUGUAY 0
51’ Min There’s a quick glimpse on TV of a pitch invader carrying a rainbow flag. Sadly, we can only imagine what is going to happen to that person. It seems a very expensive way to commit suicide. Hopefully we will hear from that person again.
53’ Min GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL FOR PORTUGAL
Portugal hit the front and it is the man Cristiano Ronaldo who scores, putting the feintest glancing blow of a header on a sublime cross from Bruno Fernandes. Ronaldo would have been offside if not for a straggler Uruguay defender not paying attention to the defensive line.
PORTUGAL 1 URUGUAY 0
62’ Min Some substitutions coming on for Uruguay. Hopefully they are either brilliant attackers who are brought on to steal the game away from Portugal or basically thugs who are here to upset Portugal so we can see some hate n the last half an hour,.
69’ Min Another quality dive from Ronaldo, who is giving us a taste of all his good work from over the years tonight
70 Min Luis Suarez is about to enter the match. You at least know something is going to happen when he joins.
75’ Min Big chance for Uruguay as Maxi Gómez fires in a shot from distance that the keeper tips on to the post. Uruguay have another big chance from a free kick not long after, where a goal line scramble see Luis Suarez with a chance to score but pushed it wide of the post.
82’ Min Ronaldo is replaced. Just thought you’d want to know.
90’ Min PENALTY TO PORTUGAL
Bruno Fernandes drives into the box and is dispossessed, but immediately puts his hand up to appeal something. A closer look shows the Uruguayan defender’s hand touching the ball as he falls to the ground. It’s pretty harsh on Uruguay
90’ +2 Min GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL TO PORTUGAL
Bruno Fenandes caps off a fine performance with a cool penalty in the style of Ivan Toney and scores Portugal’s second.
PORTUGAL 2 URUGUAY 0
90’ +7 Min Bruno Fernandes is denied a hat trick twice in two minutes. The first was when he was lurking at the far post for a cross and he was denied by the Uruguay keeper. The second was a shot from the edge that was denied by the post.
Final Score
PORTUGAL 2
Bruno Fernandes/Cristiano Ronaldo 53′ Bruno Fernandes 90′ +2
URUGUAY 0
HT 0-0
Player of the Match
Bruno Fernandes
Group H Portugal v Uruguay Match Stats
Coming soon.
Group H Portugal v Uruguay Starting Teams
PORTUGAL (4-1-2-1-2)
22 Diogo Costa
20 Cancelo
3 Pepe
4 Rúben Dias
19 Nuno Mendes
18 Neves
10 Bernardo Silva
14 William Carvalho
8 Bruno Fernandes
11 João Félix
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
TEAM (3-5-2)
23 Rochet
2 Giménez
3 Godín
19 Coates
13 Varela
15 Valverde
6 Bentancur
5 Vecino
16 Olivera
11 Núñez
21 Cavani
Group H Portugal v Uruguay Match Preview
Why should you care?
This looked a good match on paper before the World Cup kicked off, and after watching the second half of Portugal v Ghana it makes this even more worth looking forward to.
Portugal have so many stars they are a good team to follow for the neutral.
Uruguay too have some great players for the neutral, especially those with a Liverpool connection.
But with still much to play for in Group H this is a key game and worth your attention.
Who should you care about?
Ronaldo, who else. He has the men’s record for scoring at five consecutive World Cups, so hopefully with that achievement in his back pocket he might open up a bit and share the ball around with his fellow Portuguese players, all of whom are extremely capable.
Luis Suarez was caned after game one on social media, with many joining in and bagging the striker. So we are expecting a response one way or another. It could literally be anything given he has bitten a player out of frustration at previous World Cups.
Full 2022 World Cup Squads & Stats
Is there a barely interesting fact?
Portugal’s record at the World Cup v South American opposition in W1 D1 L1. The only loss came against Uruguay in the Round of 16 at the last World Cup.
Uruguay have won their last three World Cup group stage games v European opposition.
Who will win?
Portugal 2 Uruguay 1
Full 2022 World Cup Predictions
