Cristiano Ronaldo sent a text message to Piers Morgan claiming he ‘touched the ball’ in Portugal’s opening goal against Uruguay in the 2022 FIFA World Cup


Cristiano Ronaldo sent a text message to Piers Morgan claiming he ‘touched the ball’ in Portugal’s opening goal against Uruguay in the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo and Piers Morgan

On Monday, November 28, Portugal defeated the two-time World Cup champions 2-0 in their matchup in Group H of the FIFA World Cup. In the 54th minute of the game, Bruno Fernandes’ cross-cum-shot snuck by everyone and into the far post. Although he attempted to head the ball, Cristiano Ronaldo insisted he touched it and even celebrated the goal.

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Replays revealed that there was space between the ball and Ronaldo’s head, so Bruno Fernandes was ultimately given credit for the goal. According to former USMNT captain Alexi Lalas, Cristiano Ronaldo texted Piers Morgan, who hosted Ronaldo’s controversial interview that caused his contract termination from man United, about touching the ball during Portugal’s opening goal against Uruguay.

However, the Portugal captain messaged his pal Piers Morgan and insisted that he should have been given credit for the goal. On Fox Soccer, Lalas revealed it by saying: “The breaking news is that Cristiano Ronaldo did not score despite his claims that it did touch him. I was just with Piers Morgan and he said that Cristiano texted him from the locker room saying that he believes that it touched his head. So, uhm, who knows,”.

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Bruno Fernandes supports Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal claim and takes Portugal into the round of 16

Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo

In support of Cristiano Ronaldo’s claim to have scored the first goal in Portugal’s 2-0 World Cup victory against Uruguay, Bruno Fernandes asserted that his Manchester United teammate had headed his cross in at Lusail Stadium. Portugal beat a poor Uruguay to make it two wins from two in Group H, moving into the round of 16 in the Qatar 2022 tournament, joining France and Brazil.

However, neither Fernandes nor manager Fernando Santos could definitively state whether or not Ronaldo gave the game’s pivotal final touch. As a result, the identity of Portugal’s game-opening goal scorer remains a matter of speculation. Ronaldo first appeared to have glanced his head at Fernandes’s cross in the 54th minute and steered it into the goal, but television replays revealed that the 37-year-old did not touch the ball.

“I don’t think it really matters who scored; my feeling at the time was that Cristiano touched the ball. I was crossing to him. I celebrated as if it had been Cristiano’s goal. But what’s important is that we are able to go in the next round with an important win against a tough opponent,” Bruno Fernandes said.

Ronaldo celebrated as though the goal was his, which would have brought him to nine all-time World Cup goals for Portugal and level with illustrious former striker Eusebio, but Fernandes was named the goal scorer on the large screen in the stadium.

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