Fernandes steps out of Ronaldo’s shadow
Portugal's Bruno Fernandes has long played second fiddle to team mate Cristiano Ronaldo but on Monday he stepped out of the superstar's shadow by scoring two goals to steer his team past Uruguay and into the World Cup Round of 16.
The 28-year-old's career has been inextricably linked to Ronaldo, having played for Sporting, the club where his Portugal captain started his illustrious career before moving on to bigger things.
He then moved to Manchester United in 2020, another club where CR7 had left his mark in the past. Having developed into a key player for the English side, the Fernandes then saw Ronaldo return last year to once again hog the spotlight.
Fernandes does not possess the speed, power or goal-scoring prowess of CR7 but he did what was needed to get Portugal through in a game where Ronaldo failed to get on the score sheet.
Fernandes' whipped cross flew past Ronaldo's head and into the back of the net even though his more celebrated team mate initially claimed the goal for himself.
He then added another with a second half stoppage time penalty before rattling the post seconds later in his attempt for a hat-trick.
The biggest cheers throughout the game were reserved almost exclusively for Ronaldo from the fans in the 88,0000 capacity Lusail stadium.
Fernandes, however, left the pitch a happy man, knowing on the biggest of international stages there were now two big names in the Portuguese squad.
Whether at Sporting or at United, Fernandes was condemned to playing a supporting role to Ronaldo even though he is among the highest scoring midfielders in Europe.
After Manchester United abruptly ended Ronaldo's second stint at Old Trafford following his scathing criticism of the club, Fernandes refused to take sides.
"It was a dream come true to play with Cristiano.. but nothing lasts forever," he said at the time with a video of their icy encounter at the Portugal team base ahead of the World Cup quickly becoming viral.
Playing in his second World Cup, compared to Ronaldo's fifth, Fernandes will be hoping it will also be Portugal's most successful one.
Meanwhile, Fernandes said he thought Cristiano Ronaldo had scored Portugal's opener even though he was credited with the goal.
"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."
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