World Cup game against Uruguay
A hair’s breadth from the record: the goal that Ronaldo would have loved to head
It looks like it, but: Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t head the 1-0 win over Uruguay
© Glyn Kirk / AFP
Cristiano Ronaldo is chasing the next record: He is about to replace Eusebio as the Portuguese with the most World Cup goals. But against Uruguay he missed it by a hair’s breadth.
The ball flies in a high arc into the penalty area, in the middle Cristiano Ronaldo jumps up for a header. Then the ball hits the Uruguay goal. Ronaldo turns jubilantly. At that moment he has – or so he believes – equaled Portugal’s World Cup goal record. So far, Eusebio holds the record with a total of nine World Cup goals.
But the TV slow-motion shows: If anything, Ronaldo touched the ball with the tips of his hair. In any case, he did not change the trajectory. And so his teammate Bruno Fernandes is not seen as a crosser, but as a goal scorer. Ronaldo runs to him and they cheer with the team.
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After the final whistle, however, Ronaldo indicated with gestures that he had just been with his head on the ball. But he will certainly not change the official view. However, with Portugal progressing to the round of 16, CR7 will get at least one more chance to become Portugal’s all-time World Cup goalscorer.