Portugal advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Uruguay 2-0 at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Monday as a FIFA World Cup 2022 continued with more action in the group stage.
that of Portugal Bruno Fernandes he was unstoppable, scoring both the first and last point of the game.
Is he shaping up to be Portugal’s most important player?
Former USMNT players DaMarcus Beasley, Jimmy Conrad and Sacha Kljestan shared their thoughts on Fernandes’ performance in Portugal’s shutout against Uruguay on “World Cup Now.”
Beasley: No risk, no reward
He’s a guy I really like. It can be frustrating at times, but he takes risks. Many of his passes do not go to the attacker. Sometimes he loses the ball in bad places, but that’s the reward you get when you get him the ball. When he’s on, and when he’s being decisive in the final third, that’s what you get.
Conrad: Showing up with that is the most important thing
He made two assists in the first game against Portugal Ghana, and now he has two goals—his first two goals in the World Cup—against Uruguay. It is quite remarkable. We seem to talk about so many other players in this team outside of Bruno Fernandes, but here it is to be the most important, at least in the offensive part of the game. I think he’s playing in a good spot for this team as well, right where the forwards are in that space, where he can go and find the game a little bit more opposed to being in one particular spot.
Kljestan: Fernandes is a good Robin Cristiano Ronaldoit’s batman
He was also Portugal’s best player in the first game with two assists. When we talk about teams like Argentina or Portugal that have superstars, we say, “The other players have to step up.” Fernandes has done it. Portugal is good. Portugal is deep. It is difficult to play against Uruguay.
Portugal vs. Uruguay Highlights
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