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Portugal beat Uruguay 2-0 at the Lusail Stadium in their Group H encounter of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Monday, November 28.
Bruno Fernandes scored both goals on the night as A Selecao qualified for the Round of 16.
The first half was a cagey affair with chances at a premium, although Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur spurned a glorious chance by firing straight at Diogo Costa.
Just nine minutes into the restart, though, Fernandes broke the deadlock with a long shot that beautifully curled into the far corner.
Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to have gotten his head to it and initially claimed the goal, but replays showed there was no contact as the ball sailed directly into the net.
The goal awakened La Celeste from their slumber and they committed bodies forward in search of an equalizer, with Luis Suarez also thrown in late on.
However, that never came, and instead, Portugal were awarded a dubious penalty in stoppage time after the ball brushed off Jose Gimenez's hand inside the box.
With Ronaldo already substituted off the match, Fernandes stepped up to take it and made no mistake, sending Sergio Rochet the wrong way.
A Selecao, with six points from two matches, cruised into the last 16 and will look to seal the group with a win over South Korea later this week.
Uruguay, meanwhile, face an early exit and must beat Ghana, who are also competing for a knockout place, to have a chance of progressing.
Hit: Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)
On a night when all eyes were on Ronaldo, Fernandes stepped up to the plate and scored twice to send A Selecao into the Round of 16.
He broke the deadlock with a nice curl while trying to find Ronaldo, but it was too high for him and the ball nicely nestled into the far corner.
Portugal were then beneficiaries of a stoppage-time penalty from a handball. With Ronaldo off the pitch by then, Fernandes stepped up and coolly slotted it home after sending Rochet the wrong way.
Flop: Darwin Nunez (Uruguay)
Darwin Nunez is widely touted as the next big thing for Uruguay; the next attacking great once Suarez and Edinson Cavani hang up their boots.
However, we didn't see any of that here, with the Liverpool attacker totally underwhelming going forward and struggling to test Portugal in any way.
His pace was deadly but the output was desperately lacking as Nunez's passes weren't the best and he was beaten aerially too.
Nunez was later taken off in the 72nd minute for Maximiliano Gomez.
Hit: Diogo Costa (Portugal)
Portugal goalkeeper Costa was called into action a few times and he stepped up each time, making three saves to bag home a clean sheet.
He kept out Bentancur in the first half after the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder stormed down the center and fired straight at him.
Costa then kept out Nunez's effort from close range by producing a strong hand to stop it before collecting Giorgian de Arrascaeta's rushed shot.
He faced a tougher challenge against Ghana in Portugal's opening game but Costa was on hand to stop everything that came at him and keep it tidy at the back.
Flop: Jose Gimenez (Uruguay)
Usually the mortar to Diego Godin's brick in the Uruguayan defense, Jose Gimenez today was rather disconnected from his centre-back partner.
The Atletico Madrid defender lacked composure and was dragged out of position several times by Portugal's adventurous wingers.
His long balls were wayward too and lost possession a total of 14 times. If that wasn't enough, he was then unlucky to have conceded a penalty.
Fernandes' pass brushed off his hands inside the box as Gimenez dropped down and the referee pointed to the spot following a VAR review.
Not the best night for him.
Hit: Joao Cancelo (Portugal)
Joao Cancelo wasn't the most spectacular player, but there was no denying he had a terrific all-round game as the Manchester City full-back was a force in defense and also pushed his side forward in attack.
His reading of the game was top-notch and completed five clearances, while also battling successfully in the air to win all five of his duels.
Cancelo also looked to link-up with Portugal's more advanced players with long balls and drove himself forward on a few occasions whenever opportunities opened up.
