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Two second-half goals from Bruno Fernandes have sent Portugal through to the last-16 of the World Cup alongside France and Brazil after a 2-0 win over a lacklustre Uruguay.
Fernandes scored with a cross intended for Cristiano Ronaldo that sailed into the net on 54 minutes, before converting a spot kick in added time to put his side into the knockout stages with a match remaining.
Portugal had the lion’s share of the possession and dominated for most of Monday’s Group H match (Tuesday AEDT), but struggled to create clear-cut chances until the second half in a game where Uruguay looked jaded and out of sorts.
It is the third time at a World Cup that Portugal have won two successive group-stage matches – the previous two occasions led to streaks into the semi-finals.
Portugal looked threatening in possession but struggled to create scoring chances, with Bernardo Silva, Fernandes and Joao Felix frustrated in front of goal early on.
But it was Uruguay who had the best chance of the half 32 minutes in when Rodrigo Bentancur picked up the ball and ran half the length of the field, skipping around three defenders before firing off a low shot that was blocked by the advancing keeper Diogo Costa.
Bentancur was at the centre of the action again a few minutes later when his outstretched leg met a cross from the left from Mathias Olivera, trickling through to Darwin Nunez who failed to convert from close range.
Portugal battled hard for a goal and Felix came close on 52 minutes when he blasted low into the side netting.
They finally broke the deadlock two minutes later when Fernandes’ cross floated past Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, who was rooted to the spot as Cristiano Ronaldo rose to head the ball and initially celebrated the goal as his.
Uruguay had a brief rally to try to get back into the match after a raft of substitutions, with Facundo Pellistri making an instant impact, Luis Suarez coming close and Maxi Gomez hitting the post.
But the match belonged to Portugal and Fernandes, who coolly converted a penalty in added time after a handball in the box that required a VAR review.
Hungry for more, the Manchester United midfielder almost ended with a hat-trick in the dying seconds, with one effort saved at the near post by Rochet and another strike that cannoned off the post.
Casemiro has proved to be Brazil’s unlikely hero after they struggled to cope with the absence of Neymar against a stubborn Swiss side in Doha.
The Manchester United midfielder scored in the 83rd minute of the group G match to send the five-times winners into the knock-out stages of the World Cup.
Casemiro’s volley, though sweetly struck, took a slight deflection of the backside of Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji.
It was the slice of fortune Brazil needed to beat Yann Sommer and join France as the first two sides confirmed in the last 16.
Barring a Cameroon over Brazil in their final match the Swiss will also progress with a draw in their final match against Serbia.
Their coach Murat Yakin had brought in Fabian Rieder for his full debut, replacing Xherdan Shaqiri while Brazil had made two changes, both enforced by injury.
Defender Eder Militao replaced Danilo, who broke ribs in training, and, more significantly, midfielder Fred came in for Neymar with Lucas Paqueta moving further forward.
The absence of Neymar, who suffered ankle bruising during the 2-0 win over Serbia, and remained in the team hotel having treatment, had inevitably raised the issue of how Brazil could cope without him.
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Given their glittering roster that seemed a daft question even if their win rate since the last World Cup was 81 per cent with the Paris St Germain striker, 63 per cent without.
But on the evidence of the first half it was a valid question. Brazil did not have a shot until the 27th minute, their slowest start to a World Cup match since facing Cameroon in 1994 (when they went on to win the competition).
It fell to Vinicius Jr, coming in from the left to attack a crossfield ball from Raphinha. But the Real Madrid forward appeared to misjudge the flight and met the cross with his knee, enabling Sommer to parry.
Seeking victory coach Tite rang the changes.
At the break Rodrygo replaced Paqueta. On the hour Bruno Guimaraes came on, then Gabriel Jesus and Antony.
But as the last 15 approached Brazil had only got through twice. Richarlison just failed to reach an outside-of-the-boot cross by Rodrygo then Vinicius Jr rolled in a fine goal only for an offside earlier in the move to rule it out.
At the other end the Swiss had a series of blocked with Djibril Sow, twice, Ruben Vargas and Edimilson Fernandes all denied.
Switzerland had drawn with Brazil in their previous two World Cup games, in 1950 and 2018, and a third stalemate loomed.
Then came Casemiro’s intervention extending to 17 matches, dating back to 1998, Brazil’s unbeaten run in World Cup group matches.
Mohammed Kudus has netted twice as Ghana edged out South Korea 3-2 in a dramatic and fluctuating World Cup Group H game to stay in contention for the next round.
Ghana led 2-0 at half-time but allowed South Korea back into on Monday’s match as Cho Gue-sung netted twice in three minutes to level at 2-2, only for Kudus to earn Ghana victory in a heart-stopping contest.
Ghana, who lost their opening group game 3-2 to Portugal, moved on to three points in the group, with the Koreans on one, both after two games.
Ghana saw off early Korean pressure to go 2-0 ahead as centre back Mohammed Salisu’s scrambled goal in the 24th minute was followed 10 minutes later by a glancing header from Mohamed Kudus.
Both were at the end of superb deliveries from Jordan Ayew, restored to the starting line-up as Ghana fielded a much more offensive line-up than against Portugal.
Ayew’s perfectly-weighted free kick caused confusion in the Korean defence and Salisu turned sharply to snap up the opener as the ball bobbled around. There was a lengthy wait for VAR to check the validity of the goal, as the loose ball had struck an arm, before English referee Anthony Taylor confirmed it.
Ayew then again provided a wicked delivery, with the right height and pace, for Kudus to apply a glancing touch with his head and double the Black Stars’ lead.
Early second-half changes breathed new life into Korea’s attack.
Lee kang-in had barely been on the field for a minute when he helped dispossess Tariq Lamptey and fired in a cross that Cho attacked with pace, leaving Salisu watching as he got in front of his marker to power home a 58th-minute header.
The 24-year-old centre forward was even more determined as a chip from Kim Jin-su caught the out-of-position goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi scrambling and Cho climbed above the centre backs to score a dramatic equaliser, right in front of a bank of screaming Korean supporters.
Ghana, who would have been eliminated from the World Cup had they lost, looked vulnerable but were handed a surprise lifeline by sloppy Korean defending in the 68th minute.
Gideon Mensah was allowed to get a cross in from the left, which Inaki Williams missed but the ball fell for Kudus to tuck home with his left foot.
The fortuitous turn for the Black Stars was followed by Ati-Zigi making a fine save from Lee’s free kick and watching as the ball was cleared off the line from Kim Jin-su’s scuffed shot.
Ghana continued to live dangerously through 10 minutes of added time as Korea besieged their goal, but were unable to equalise again.
Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar has come off the bench to rescue his side by scoring one superb goal and creating another as they fought back to draw 3-3 with Serbia.
(Photo by Adam Pretty – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Monday’s draw in Doha kept both sides’ slim chances alive at the World Cup.
Serbia’s Strahinja Pavlovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored in first-half stoppage time and Aleksandar Mitrovic netted after the break to cancel out Jean-Charles Castelletto’s opener for Cameroon at Al Janoub Stadium.
Aboubakar was summoned off the bench in the 55th minute and pulled a goal back for Cameroon with a stunning scooped chip over the keeper in the 63rd.
He then teed up Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to draw the Indomitable Lions level three minutes later.
The draw halted a run of eight consecutive World Cup defeats for the African side and followed the controversial pre-match axing of Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana after an argument, according to reports, with coach Rigobert Song.
The result left both sides on one point and needing to win their final Group G game to stand a chance of going through to the knockout stages. Cameroon face Brazil on Friday when Serbia take on Switzerland.
© AAP
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