Bruno Fernandes said he thought Cristiano Ronaldo had scored Portugal’s opener in their 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday even though he was credited with the goal.
The Manchester United midfielder’s cross towards Ronaldo flew straight in but the veteran striker was a whisker away from making contact with the ball.
Fernandes added the second from the penalty spot late on after Uruguay were penalised for handball and he was chosen as man of the match.
The win guaranteed Portugal’s progress to the last 16 in Qatar.
“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,” Fernandes said.
“What’s important is that we were able to go to the next round and (secure) a very important win against a very tough opponent.”
Fernandes warned that Portugal would have to be at their best in their final group match on Friday against South Korea, with a point enough to guarantee them top spot in Group H.
“We know we will find a very organised team in front of us with a huge skill-set, as we’ve seen in their last matches,” added Fernandes.
“We’ve played at different times and that has allowed us to watch South Korea play. Our objective is to win every match, and we have one ahead of us.”
Portugal coach Fernando Santos chose to praise the whole team instead of focusing on Fernandes.
“I think it’s the result of the team’s work,” said Santos. “If the team does not play well then the player himself will not have a good performance.
“I think in the first two games, the team has played well. Diogo Costa (the Portugal goalkeeper) saved two important shots, so I don’t think we should be focusing on individual players.”
