Cristiano Ronaldo brushed aside his off-field problems by scoring the winner as Portugal edged hosts Russia 1-0 at the FIFA Confederations Cup on Wednesday, before Oribe Peralta gave Mexico a come-from-behind 2-1 win over New Zealand.
Ronaldo’s eighth-minute header in Moscow gave Portugal their first win in the tournament and victory over New Zealand tomorrow would secure a semi-final spot.
Goals from Peralta and Raul Jimenez saw Mexico move to the top of Group A later in the day, above Portugal on goals scored, and knock New Zealand out of the competition.
Photo: AFP
Ronaldo let his play do the talking after the recent tax-evasion accusations that have left his Real Madrid future uncertain, with his second man-of-the-match performance following Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Mexico.
The forward said Portugal were worthy winners after surviving a second-half Russia fightback.
“We’re very happy, it’s the first time Portugal have won in Russia. The team played very well against a side playing at home with the support of their fans, but we were better. We had more chances,” he said.
Ronaldo is accused by Spanish authorities of having evaded paying 14.7 million euros (US$16.5 million) in taxes and has been summoned to appear in court in Madrid next month.
However, he was all smiles, escorting a young mascot in a wheelchair onto the Moscow pitch before netting his first Confederations Cup goal.
The victory came at a cost, with Borussia Dortmund defender Raphael Guerreiro helped off on 65 minutes with a suspected broken leg.
“He was hospitalized and we think he broke his leg,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said, with later reports indicating it was a pre-existing injury.
Guerreiro revealed that he had been playing with a fractured leg for months.
“Thank you for your messages, I have a fracture, but it happened three months ago,” Guerreiro wrote on Instagram. “Fortunately, the fracture is not causing me any pain, but I can’t put my foot on the ground or move.”
“I’ll be behind my teammates for the rest of the competition,” he wrote, confirming his exit from the tournament.
Earlier, Guerreiro’s towering cross from the left flank hung in the air and found Ronaldo, who rose at the far post to head back across Igor Akinfeev, while a superb, one-handed save from Akinfeev stopped Andre Silva’s bullet header just after the break.
The hosts were unlucky not to force an equalizer after a string of chances in a strong second-half display.
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