Cristiano Ronaldo’s joy quickly turned to confusion when FIFA announced that Bruno Fernandes had netted Portugal’s opening goal against Uruguay - moments after Ronaldo had been celebrating scoring it himself.
The deadlock was broken in the 54th minute of the World Cup 2022 clash on Monday night when Fernandes looped in a cross and Ronaldo went to head it, and the ball flew into the bottom corner.
Ronaldo rushed off in celebration, but it was hard to tell if he had made any contact with the ball, as the trajectory of Fernandes’ ball appeared unchanged.
🇵🇹 Could that be the goal to see them through to the knockouts?👀 Regardless of whether or not he got a touch, Ronaldo is going to claim it!#ITVFootball | #FifaWorldCup pic.twitter.com/DoEawKBHvvNovember 28, 2022
Fernandes was then announced as the scorer on the big screen inside Lusail Stadium.
And soon afterwards, FIFA’s World Cup page tweeted: “The goal has officially been ruled as scored by Bruno Fernandes”
There was much confusion about who scored the goal, as FIFA’s live blog said Ronaldo “got the slightest of touches…to glance it past Rochet” but Fernandes was named as the scorer on their website.
Had the goal been awarded to Ronaldo, it would’ve made him the oldest player to score in back-to-back World Cup games, having netted a penalty against Ghana in Portugal’s opener.
A ninth World Cup strike also would’ve taken him level with Portuguese legend Eusebio’s tally, too.
Now, the Portugal captain will have to wait a bit longer to achieve those feats, as he was replaced with eight minutes remaining.
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