With a 2-0 win against Uruguay, Portugal qualified for the round of 16 before the last group game. However, the Portuguese have to pay dearly for this interim success: Nuno Mendes was injured against Uruguay and will probably miss the rest of the tournament.
With two wins at the start, Portugal has finally played its way into the narrow circle of favorites for the title. Led by superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese are aiming for their first ever World Cup. National coach Fernando Santos will have to do without Nuno Mendes for the remainder of the tournament. The Paris Saint-Germain left-back sustained an uninvolved injury against Uruguay and had to be substituted in tears. According to L’Equipe, the 20-year-old will not be able to play again at this World Cup. Mendes already missed the opening game against Ghana with a muscle injury. In the second game against Uruguay, Mendes managed 40 minutes before being substituted. He was replaced by Raphael Guerreiro, who now has to play the lion’s share of the tournament at left-back.
This article was originally published on 90min.de as a report: Portugal star misses the rest of the World Cup! released.
