Renew: 23/11/2022 10:39
Issued by: 23/11/2022, 10:39 a.m
Doha – Portuguese footballers, led by star player Cristiano Ronaldo, will open the World Cup in Qatar with a match against Ghana on Thursday. The Portugal captain could become the first player to score in five different championships. In the second duel of Group H, Uruguay will face South Korea.
The group which will meet teams from four different continents is attracting attention mainly thanks to Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner courted controversy with a lengthy interview with TalkTV, in which he criticized Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag, among other things. He agreed to terminate his contract with the club on Tuesday, so he will enter his fifth championship as a free agent.
“The atmosphere in the team is very good, we are fully focused. I feel great, and this Portuguese team has great potential. We can definitely win all the World Cups,” Ronaldo said in an interview with Sky Sports.
With 117 goals, the top scorer in internationals may have one last chance at thirty-seven years of age to add to his world title with the European title from 2016. His best so far was fourth in 2006, the only bronze was won by Portuguese in 1966.
Portugal has been coached by Fernando Santos since 2014, while Otto Addo, on the other hand, has been the head coach of the Ghana national team since February. Nicknamed the Black Stars, the team failed at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier in the year, and Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac was sacked after being knocked out at the group stage. Oddo then led Ghana to the World Cup after eight years.
“We have a good team with some new players. We believe we can beat everyone in the group. We want to qualify for the playoffs,” Addo told DPA. The Hamburg native can also count on Bilbao striker Iňaki Williams or Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey, who represented other countries in the youth category and made his debut for Ghana only in September.
The only match between them at the 2014 World Cup was won by the Portuguese 2:1, in the end it was Ronaldo who decided. Uruguay and South Korea have met twice in the World Cup, both of which are celebrated by the South American team.
Uruguay were two-time world champions from the 1930s and 1950s, and in modern history they reached the semifinals in 2010. Just as they participated in the quarter-finals four years ago, the national team’s top scorer, Luis Suárez, is looking forward to his fourth World Cup, also present. For the first time, he will not be starting football’s biggest event under coach Óscar Tabárez, who was replaced by Diego Alonso last year after 15 years in office.
On the other hand, Korean coach Paulo Bento faces the health condition of captain Son Hung-min who had to undergo surgery three weeks ago due to a fractured eye socket. “We will face it day by day. We will always make the best decisions regarding the team and the health of the players,” said the Portuguese coach. The Tottenham shooter himself said before the tournament that it was impossible to estimate how many minutes he could play. He will ride with a protective mask.
The Uruguay – South Korea match is scheduled to start at 14:00 at the 974 Stadium. The Portugal – Ghana duel will also take place in Doha at the Education City Stadium from 17:00.
Statistical data before World Cup matches in football:
Group H:
Uruguay – Korea
Kick-off: Thursday 24 November, 14:00 CET (Doha, City of Education).
Referee: Turpin – Danos, Gringore – Brisard (video, all Fr.).
FIFA Rating: 14 – 28
Total balance: 8 6-1-1 13:6.
World Cup balance: 2 2-0-0 3:1.
Top scorers of the current nominations: Suárez (68) – Son Hung-min (35).
Interesting place:
– Korea only won the last 8 duels with Uruguay
– Uruguay won both head-to-head matches in the World Cup (both by one goal)
– Uruguay will be appearing in the World Cup for the fourteenth and fourth consecutive time, having won gold in 1930 and 1950
– Korea will play in the World Cup for the 11th and 10th times in a row, the highest being 4th place in 2002
– Uruguay have lost only one of their last 9 matches and have not conceded in 6 of their last 7 duels
– In the last World Cup, Uruguay won all 3 matches in the group without conceding a single goal
– Korea lost only one of their last 9 duels
– Korea last beat Germany in the World Cup, but before that they had never won 8 in a row
– Hwang Hi-chan and Hwang I-cho (both Korea) can claim their 50th national team start
Portugal – Ghana
Kick-off: Thursday, November 24, 17:00 CET (Doha, 974).
Referees: Elfath – Atkins, Parker – Villarreal (video, all USA).
FIFA Rating: 9 – 61
Total balance: 1 1-0-0 2:1.
World Cup balance: 1 1-0-0 2:1.
Best goalscorer of the current nominations: Ronaldo (117) – A. Ayew (23).
Interesting place:
– Portugal beat Ghana 2-1 in the only match between them at the 2014 World Cup
– Portugal will be playing in the World Cup for the eighth and sixth consecutive times, their highest position being 3rd in 1966
– Ghana will be appearing in the World Cup for the fourth time and after 8 years, the furthest they have reached to the quarter-finals was in 2010
– Portugal have never won the opening game 3 times in a row at the World Cup
– Portugal beat Czechia twice in this year’s Nations League group (2:0 at home and 4:0 away)
– Ghana won twice in a row without conceding a single goal
– Ghana has never won 4 consecutive World Cups (including 3 defeats)
– Fernandes (Portugal) can claim his 50th international start
– Ronaldo (Portugal) is the first in history to score 5 different goals
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