South Korea stun everyone in Group H

Cristiano’s troops edged close, but not close enough to salvation for their departing star

Ghana

Ranked 61 in FIFA rankings, the Black Stars of Ghana came into the event as the dark horses. Their other group members included Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea.

Ghana had the fewest World Cup appearances among their contemporaries in the group. Their first outing at the global event was back in 2006 and have participated in the 2010 and 2014 editions since then, having missed out on qualification for the previous one in 2018.

The Black Stars managed to beat a good-looking Nigerian team in the all-important World Cup playoff as soon as Otto Addo took charge as Ghana football manager in January this year.

Exiting their 2010 wonder run at the World Cup in an agonising quarter-final defeat, the Ghanaians wanted to roar back at this year’s edition. However, having Portugal as their opponent in their first match wasn’t an easy task.

As the game started, there was not much happening till the end of the first half. However, at 61’, Cristiano Ronaldo achieved a personal milestone as he throttled one into the nets off a penalty to give Portugal a lead in the game. In response, the Ghanaian captain André Ayew scored an equaliser at 73’.

On a score of 1-1, Portugal turned up the heat, as Joao Felix and Rafael Leao scored one each in the next seven minutes to make it 3-1 at the 80-minute mark. But the Black Stars were not in the mood to give up as Osman Bukari scored to make it 3-2 in the 89th minute, which proved to be the final score.

In their next encounter, Ghana had South Korea as their opponent. The African nation took a 2-0 lead after 10 minutes of play in the first half thanks to goals from Mohammed Kudus and Mohammed Salisu.

However, South Korea’s comeback after the break silenced the wild celebrations of Ghana fans. At 61’, Cho Gue-sung, the top scorer in his domestic league, tied the score with two incredible headers in three minutes. But the praiseworthy Kudus added a final twist when he hammered in a third goal as Ghana caused heartbreak for South Korean fans.

Ghana were up next against Uruguay in their third and final group fixture. The Addo-managed team missed the opportunity to take an early lead in the 21st minute as Sergio Rochet easily saved Ghanaian captain Ayew’s soft penalty.

Uruguay capitalised on this mistake and Luis Suarez’s ball was headed into the nets by Giorgian De Arrascaeta in the 26th minute. The South Americans scored another in the next six minutes to extend his team’s lead 2-0 to gain three points.

Overall, they were impressive in their short stint in the World Cup.

Portugal

Grade: B-

Due to recent underwhelming performances, there had been talks over Cristiano Ronaldo’s position as a sure starter and captain of the Portuguese national team.

Despite that, believing in Ronaldo’s abilities, the fans and authorities backed him to lead the Selecao to their first-ever World Cup triumph and end his glorious career on a high.

In their first match against Ghana, Portugal won 3-2 but it wasn’t the ideal start for them as they had realised that winning by just one goal difference against a weaker Ghanaian side was not something expected from them.

Portugal’s next fixture was against a fairly equal competitor in Uruguay. Both teams had trouble scoring goals in the opening period. Ronaldo was eager to score a goal.

He was first given credit for a goal in the 54th minute of the second half, which was actually scored by Bruno Fernandes. Uruguay made consistent attempts to tie the game but were unable to do so.

In extra time, Bruno Fernandes again scored off a penalty to give his side the ultimate 2-0 lead.

Ahead of their last group match against South Korea, Portugal’s qualification for the Round of 16 was confirmed, yet they met a resilient Korean side.

Ricardo Horta scored in the fifth minute of the game after receiving a cross from Diogo Dalot and beating the goalkeeper from close range to give Portugal the lead they needed to secure the top spot in the group. However, Young-Gwon Kim gave the Taeguk Warriors a chance to score after seizing control of a bouncing ball in the goalmouth and hooking it into the goal at 27’.

But South Korea needed a win to eliminate Uruguay and progress to the next round and so, Hwang Hee-Chan scored a last-minute goal to send his side to the Round of 16. Ronaldo’s men advanced but with a 2-1 defeat and as the second team on the group table.

The all-important Round of 16 match saw Portugal locking horns with Switzerland, but much to everyone’s surprise, Fernando Santos benched Ronaldo, and he was rewarded with a hat-trick from the replacement Goncalo Ramos in an incredible team performance.

Portugal annihilated the Swiss team by 6-1 to extend their World Cup journey to another round – the quarter-finals. There, they faced the surprise package Morocco.

As the game started, the Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri’s stunning header in the 42nd minute put the African side ahead. It was also Morocco’s first-ever goal during the knockout stage. In the second half, CR7 came from the bench to rescue struggling Portugal but could do much.

Eventually, Morocco ended Portugal’s run in the tournament.

Ronaldo’s team had an excellent outing against Switzerland, but with him not firing in the event, they did not put up a show to remember.

South Korea

Grade: B

The Paul bento-managed team headed to Qatar to at least replicate their 2002 World Cup campaign where they finished in fourth place.

The Taegeuk Warriors heavily relied upon their captain Son Heung-min and centre-back Kim Min-Jae ahead of the major tournament.

They appeared to be the most prepared team in the group. Ranked 58th in the world before coach Paulo Bento took over in 2018, South Korea stood at 28th ahead of the Qatar battle. The team also won the 2018 Asian Cup under Bento’s leadership. The country also breezed through its World Cup qualifying matches, losing just one of 17 matches.

South Korea’s first group match against Uruguay ended in a 0-0 draw as the La Celeste failed to pierce the strong South Korean defence.

However, South Korea suffered a 3-2 defeat in their second match against Ghana as Cho Gue-sung proved to be the lone Taegeuk Warrior, scoring both goals for his team.

The Son Heung-min-led team needed a win over Portugal in their last group game to secure a place in the next stage and they did exactly that. Kim Young-gwon and Hwang hee-chan stepped up for their side in a must-win game to confirm their place in the qualifiers.

Up next for South Korea in the Round of 16 were the tournament favourites Brazil, who didn’t let their opposition score more than once, as Bento’s side exited, losing 4-1 to the Thiago Silva-led side.

South Korea played well in bits and pieces but never looked really threatening to go far in the tournament.

Uruguay

Grade: B-

Also called La Celeste, Uruguay, before the 2022 FIFA World Cup had accomplished three semifinal appearances.

This time, the unpredictable team was captained by Diego Godin, whose amazing ability to hit the ball accurately made him a key member of his side’s campaign.

Suarez and Edinson Cavani were also members of the group that advanced to Russia’s final eight.

Similar to Ghana, La Celeste recently changed managers. After a run of four straight losses that put their participation in Qatar in jeopardy, long-time manager Oscar Tabarez was replaced by Diego Alonso.

By winning the following four games after he took the charge, Alonso helped shift the tide and earned a spot in Qatar.

The Alonso-managed team played their first group game against South Korea which ended in a 0-0 tie despite both the teams going hard at each other and looking to score on different occasions. Uruguay missed a couple of chances as they hit the post, unable to get the ball through to the nets.

Mighty Portugal, led by one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest, Cristiano Ronaldo, was up next up for the La Celeste. A charging Portuguese attack jolted the Uruguayan side as they conceded a defeat 2-0, courtesy of Bruno Fernandes’ two goals.

As a result, Uruguay’s match against Ghana became a must-win for the former while also requiring Portugal to beat South Korea for Godin’s men to advance to the next group.

Though Uruguay did beat Ghana convincingly 2-0, they could not attain a favourable result from Portugal vs South Korea contest, resulting in their elimination.

A better effort was expected from Uruguay, who are experienced in playing at big stages and have some of the best players around the world in the shape of Suarez and Cavani.