Bruno Fernandes said he thought Cristiano Ronaldo had scored Portugal's opener in their 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday even though he was credited with the goal.
The Manchester United midfielder's cross towards Ronaldo flew straight in but the veteran striker was a whisker away from making contact with the ball.
"I celebrated as if it had been Cristiano's goal, it seemed to me that he had touched the ball, my aim was to cross the ball for him," Fernandes said.
"What's important is that we were able to go to the next round and (secure) a very important win against a very tough opponent."
Meanwhile, centre-back Pepe became the third oldest outfield player in World Cup history in the same game. Cameroon's Roger Milla remains the oldest outfield player to play in a World Cup at USA 1994 aged 42.