Cristiano Ronaldo (fake images)
German sports manufacturer Adidas, through its connected ball technology, confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo did not score against Uruguay as Portugal beat their Group H opponents 2-0 on Monday.
READ | ‘I thought I touched the ball’: Ronaldo’s role in Portugal’s goal has people divided
Bruno Fernandes was eventually credited as the scorer for the first goal of the night, as he intended to cross the ball for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, 37, jumped to get his head into the ball and social media was torn over whether the former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker touched him before the ball crossed the goal line.
However, Adidas revealed in a statement that Ronaldo did not make contact with the ball.
Adidas statement:
“In the match between Portugal and Uruguay, using the Connected Ball technology housed in the Adidas Al Rihla Official Match Ball, we were able to definitively show that Cristiano Ronaldo had no contact with the ball for the first goal of the match.
“No external force on the ball could be measured as shown by the lack of ‘heartbeat’ in our measurements and in the accompanying graph.
“The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be very precise in our analysis.”
Speaking to reporters after the game, Fernandes said he thought Ronaldo had scored Portugal’s first goal despite being credited with the goal.
The Manchester United midfielder’s cross to Ronaldo flew straight in but the veteran striker came within a hair’s breadth of making contact with the ball.
Fernandes added the second from the penalty spot after Uruguay was penalized for a handball and was voted Man of the Match.
The victory guaranteed Portugal’s advance to the round of 16 in Qatar.
“I celebrated as if it had been a goal from Cristiano, it seemed to me that he had touched the ball, my goal was to cross the ball for him,” said Fernandes.
“The important thing is that we were able to go to the next round and [secure] a very important victory 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 enough of a point to guarantee them first place in Group H.
“We know that we will find a very organized team in front of us with a great skill set, as we have seen in their last matches,” added Fernandes.
“We have played at different times and that has allowed us to see South Korea play. Our goal is to win every game and we have one ahead of us”.
Portugal returns to action on Friday against Korea Republic in their final group game.
