Portugal punched its ticket to the knockout round of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory Monday over Uruguay in Group H.
In the 54th minute, Portugal broke the 0-0 tie. Bruno Fernandes chipped a cross into the box as Cristiano Ronaldo darted toward the goal. It initially appeared Ronaldo might have gotten his head to the ball but it just sailed over him and into the back of the net.
Knowing the path to advance just became much harder, Uruguay began to play with more urgency. After coming on as a substitute, Maxi Gomez stung the woodwork of the goalpost to nearly get the equalizer. Luis Suarez also had a good chance from point-blank range that hit the side netting.
In the 90th minute, the referee awarded Portugal a penalty after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check deemed that Uruguay committed a handball in the penalty box. Fernandes stepped to the spot and put the ball coolly to the goalie's right as he dove the other way to seal the game for Portugal.
With the win, Portugal joins France and Brazil as the only teams that have advanced so far to the Round of 16.
Uruguay has a lot of work to do to get to the next round. It will need to beat Ghana in the final group stage match, plus get help on goal differential.