The countdown to the start of the Qatar 2022 World Cup is coming to an end, and we are just a few days away from starting to enjoy all the emotions that this tournament has in store for us, which we have been waiting for more than 4 years for it to be played.
With a lot of spirits and, above all, a lot of conviction, the 32 teams are arriving at this edition #22 of this wonderful World Cup event that, without a doubt, is responsible for paralyzing the hearts of all soccer fans worldwide.
It should be noted that, for this edition of the World Cup, only Qatar is making its debut in it, so we will be seeing teams that have experience in this type of event.
The Qatar 2022 World Cup will kick off next Sunday, November 20, 2022, when the host team Qatar will face Ecuador at the Al Khor Stadium at 11:00 am ET.
Update
Just yesterday we were able to enjoy the actions of Group H, the last group of this Qatar 2022 World Cup where in addition to having a pleasant surprise thanks to the excellent level of play shown by South Korea in their match against Uruguay, we saw Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal suffering until the last second against Ghana.
As we had mentioned, the favorite teams in this group to advance to the round of 16 are Uruguay and Portugal, but, after what we saw yesterday with South Korea and Ghana, not everything is clear and now both Portugal and Uruguay will have two matches that will be very complicated to close this group stage.
The matches that we will have on day 2 of the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup in Group H are as follows:
- Matchday 2: Korea vs. Ghana (Monday, November 28 at 08:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 2: Portugal vs. Uruguay (Monday, November 28 at 02:00 pm ET.)
In the first match, we will see the two teams that surprised us at the beginning of the World Cup, South Korea played a great game against Uruguay and was, many times, close to scoring a goal that could give them victory. But the most remarkable thing was the performance of Son Heung-min, who rode his back to the team in this match generating many dangerous chances.
While in the second match we will enjoy two great teams that aspire to be world champions and, despite having many problems in their first match, both come with great confidence to be in the next phase of this World Cup. Portugal was under a lot of pressure in their debut against Ghana and despite being 3-1 up in the last minutes, they came close to finishing the match with a 3-3 score.
While Uruguay could not offensively against South Korea in their first match, many inaccuracies by Darwin Nuñez and Luis Suarez, who could not connect much with Valverde and Vecino in the middle of the field.
Uruguay vs. Korea – Roundup
Although we can say that this was a great surprise at the beginning of the World Cup, we can also say that it is not entirely so, since many South Korean players are playing in the best soccer leagues in the world and it is led by Son Heung-min, the Tottenham star.
South Korea had several dangerous chances during the whole match, but, they did not manage to shoot once directly at the Uruguayan goal. It should be noted that Uruguay has always been characterized as having a very good defensive game.
Uruguay was very subdued during most of the match, but in the last minutes, they tried to wake up, especially in set pieces where they have always been very dangerous, especially with players like Diego Godín, Luis Suárez, Cavani, and Nuñez himself.
The pharaoh, Diego Godín had the opportunity to put Uruguay on top of the scoreboard with a great header, but the ball hit the crossbar.
Uruguay will play for their lives against a Portugal team that did not look good against Ghana, while South Korea will have to overcome an African team that played a great match.
Portugal vs. Ghana – Roundup
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal suffered too much in their first match of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. When we all thought that the match would be easy for the Portuguese, we had a pleasant surprise from Ghana, led by Ayew and Iñaki Williams, who pressed and even scared Portugal at all times.
In this match, although it ended with a 3-2 victory for Portugal, we can say that it was a match that Ghana lost, not that Portugal won. We say this because Portugal’s first goal, the penalty shot by Cristiano Ronaldo, came from a controversial play in the VAR, while the other two goals were childish mistakes by Ghana’s defense.
After a 0-0 draw in the first half, Portugal timidly began to approach Ghana’s goal at the start of the second half. In a play that, for many, was not a penalty, Ronaldo gave Portugal the lead in the 65th minute.
Ghana’s captain, best player, and all-time leading scorer, André Ayew equalized in the 73rd minute. But, thanks to Ghana’s persistence and a defensive error, Joao Félix put his team ahead in the 78th minute.
Just when everything seemed to be settled, so much so that Portugal’s coach substituted Cristiano, Bernardo Silva, and Joao Felix, Ghana scored the 3-2 in the 89th minute. From this moment on, Portugal had to close in to defend and, in the last play of the match, goalkeeper Diogo Costa forgot that he had Iñaki Williams very close, he almost made a mistake that, if the Ghanaian had not slipped, could have meant the 3-3.
Portugal will have to face an Uruguay side that will play the match as a final, while Ghana knows it can advance to the next stage by pulling off a surprise against Uruguay and South Korea.
Update 2
We have reached the last day of the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and only three teams have secured their ticket to the next stage, France, Brazil, and Portugal, the rest of the 13 qualified teams will be defined on this third day, so we will have life or death matches to find out the 16 teams that will qualify for the round of 16.
In Group D, as we mentioned, France has already qualified for the round of 16 after two victories in the first two matchdays. In the first match, they easily defeated Australia with a score of 4-1 and, in the second they managed to overcome a complacent Denmark with a double by Mbappé with a score of 2-1.
France is followed by Australia, who in their second match managed to beat Tunisia and are just one win away from qualifying, now they must face Denmark in a do-or-die match for both teams. Finally, we have Denmark and Tunisia, both with only 1 point, and who need to win in the last match to dream of staying alive in the tournament.
Starting today, November 29, 2022, the matches corresponding to the third day of the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be played and the group D matches will be as follows:
- Matchday 3: Tunisia vs. France (Wednesday, November 30 at 10:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 3: Australia vs. Denmark (Wednesday, November 30 at 10:00 am ET.)
As we can see, both matches are at the same time, so no one will know the outcome of the other matches, except at halftime.
Tunisia has the very complicated task of beating France which has looked very powerful and, above all, dangerous in this World Cup. In addition, Karim Benzema has recovered from injury and is expected to return to the French training camp in the coming hours.
France, already qualified, must at least secure a draw to stay at the top of the group and thus avoid facing first place in Group C.
The most electrifying match will be between Australia and Denmark, as the team that wins will undoubtedly be in the round of 16, so we expect a great battle between two great teams that dream of advancing to the next stage.
France vs. Denmark – Roundup
The French national team had to suffer in their match against Denmark to seal their ticket to the round of 16 of this World Cup. The Danes knew what it was like to beat France in an official match, and they tried their best.
So much so that the dominance of the ball was in favor of Denmark, who finished the match with 52% ball possession.
This match was very evenly matched and above all, open. Either team could score the first goal at any time and so it was, France could take the lead after a great goal scored by Kylian Mbappé in the 61st minute. But Denmark woke up with this goal and 7 minutes later they equalized the match with a great header by Andreas Christensen.
When everything looked like it was going to be a draw between these two teams and that they would seek qualification in the third match of the group stage, Mbappé pulled out the magic wand and gave France the victory with a goal in the 86th minute.
Tunisia vs. Australia – Roundup
Tunisia is one of the most surprising teams in these first two days of the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and, although they have not managed to win either of the two matches played, they have shown a high level of play in each of them.
When everyone took it for granted that Denmark would sweep them aside in the first match, they managed to hold on and generate a lot of danger to end the match 0-0. Then, against Australia, they continued to play at a very high level, but, in a defensive oversight, they conceded a goal by Mitchell Duke in the 23rd minute.
This did not make Tunisia give up, as they kept trying throughout th
Group H
Now, if we focus on the last group of this World Cup, that is to say, Group H, we have the following teams:
- Portugal
- Ghana
- Uruguay
- South Korea
The final group of this Qatar 2022 World Cup is one of the most evenly matched in the entire tournament. It features one of the longest-reigning World Cup champions, Uruguay, plus powerhouses from Europe (Portugal), Asia (South Korea), and Africa (Ghana).
It is arguably the most open and most difficult group to predict, although the Uruguayans and Portuguese, who met in the round of 16 at the Russia 2018 World Cup, start as the favorites to advance to the knockout stages.
Likewise, Ghana arrives with the firm conviction of continuing to make very clear that their main strength is confidence and hard play, so, we are sure they will play with everything.
Meanwhile, South Korea depends a lot on the form of Tottenham’s star striker in the Premier League, Son Heung-min, for the development of their game.
World Cup Group H: Portugal
Recent times and matches have raised some doubts about Portugal’s chances of going far in this World Cup. Specifically, the defeats against Serbia, which sent the team coached by Fernando Santos to the playoff for the qualification, and Spain, which eliminated them from the UEFA Nations League.
This Portugal team has enough quality, in terms of world-class players, to think about their first World Cup title, but they arrive in Qatar with two huge question marks surrounding two inescapable figures.
Pepe has had many physical problems and is nearing his 40th birthday, and Cristiano Ronaldo has had to deal with the fact that he is not an undisputed starter at Manchester United and, simply put, is not the man that was winning Champions Leagues on his own some years ago.
The players called up by Portugal for the World Cup Qatar 2022 are:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), José Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Rui Patrício (AS Roma).
Defenses: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), João Cancelo (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (PSG), Pepe (FC Porto), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), António Silva (SL Benfica), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund).
Midfielders: João Palhinha (Fulham FC), Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Mário (SL Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton), Otávio Monteiro (FC Porto), Vitinha (PSG), William Carvalho (Real Betis).
Forwards: André Silva (RB Leipzig), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Gonçalo Ramos (SL Benfica), João Félix (Atlético Madrid), Rafael Leão (AC Milan), Ricardo Horta (SC Braga).
World Cup Group H: Uruguay
Uruguay will arrive in Qatar in 2022 with a team in the development and full discovery. It has a roster of players divided between historical players and debutants.
For Fernando Muslera, Diego Godín, Martín Cáceres, Luis Suárez, and Edinson Cavani it will be their fourth World Cup. While for Sergio Rochet, Mathías Olivera, Federico Valverde, Nicolás de la Cruz, Facundo Pellistri, Matías Viña, and Darwin Núñez, it will be the first.
Can Uruguay be world champions? Of course, they can. It has a chance to live up to expectations. At this stage of the season, the individual performance of their stars allows them to dream big.
Uruguay has won the World Cup twice and performed well in recent international tournaments. Regarding the World Cup, they reached the quarterfinals in 2018, the round of 16 in 2014, and the semifinals in 2010.
The players called up by Uruguay for the World Cup Qatar 2022 are:
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Sebastián Sosa (Independiente), Sergio Rochet (Nacional).
Defenses: Diego Godín (Vélez Sarsfield), José María Giménez (Atlético Madrid), Sebastián Coates (Sporting), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Martín Cáceres (Los Ángeles Galaxy), José Luis Rodríguez (Nacional), Ronald Araújo (Barcelona), Mathías Olivera (Nápoli), Matías Viña (Roma).
Midfielders: Matías Vecino (Lazio), Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray), Manuel Ugarte (Sporting), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolás de la Cruz (River Plate), Agustín Canobbio (Athletico Paranaense), Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo).
Forwards: Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United), Luis Suárez (Nacional), Darwin Núñez (Liverpool), Edinson Cavani (Valencia), Facundo Torres (Orlando City), Maximiliano Gómez (Trabzonspor).
World Cup Group H: Ghana
Ghana has only participated three times in World Cups (2006, 2010, and 2014), getting out of the group stage on two of the three occasions, which gives them the confidence for this new World Cup event to dream of reaching the round of 16.
Ghanaians usually have high confidence when the national team prepares for an international tournament. Still, for Qatar 2022, expectations are more relaxed, and rightly so, as they have had a very low level of play in their last 12 games, winning only two of them and, most worryingly, against teams that are not among the top 100 in the world.
Thomas Partey’s form for Arsenal this season has lifted the hearts of his compatriots.
The players called up by Ghana for the World Cup Qatar 2022 are:
Goalkeepers: Richard Ofori (Orlando Pirates), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (KAS Eupen), Joseph Wollacott (Charlton).
Defenses: Denis Odoi (Club Bruges), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton), Alidu Seidu (Clermont), Abdul Rahman Baba (Reading), Gideon Mensah (AJ Auxerre), Alexander Djiku (RC Estrasburgo), Mohammed Salisu (Southampton), Daniel Amartey (Leicester), Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo), Stephan Kofi Ambrosius (Karlsruhe).
Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Iddrisu Baba (Mallorca), Elisha Owusu (Gante), Daniel Kofi Kyereh (Friburgo), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax), André Ayew (Al-Sadd).
Forwards: Iñaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Felix Afena-Gyan (Cremonese), Benjamin Tetteh (Hull City), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Rennes), Daniel Afriyie Barnieh (Hearts of Oak), Issahaku Abdul Fatawu (Sporting Portugal), Osman Bukari (Estrella Roja de Belgrado), Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer (Hamburgo SV), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Antoine Semenyo (Bristol).
World Cup Group H: South Korea
South Korea is the first country outside Europe and South America to play in 10 consecutive World Cups. Currently, only four countries have qualified for 10 consecutive World Cups: Brazil (22), Germany (18), Argentina (13), Spain (12), and Korean Republic (10).
Their 2-0 win over Iran in the home qualifier last March highlights South Korea’s run to Qatar. However, they need a plan B, as the Korean team should not be a contender, but a runner-up in the finals of the tournament.
Some of the best players in this squad are not in their best form, especially Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan, Olympiakos’ Hwang Ui-jo, and Gimcheon Sangmoo’s Kwon Chang-hoon, who have not shown their quality regularly.
The players called up by South Korea for the World Cup Qatar 2022 are:
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-Gyu (Al-Shabab), Song Bum-Keun (Jeonbuk Motors), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan).
Defenses: Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Motors), Kim Min-Jae (Napoli) Kim Young-Gwon (Ulsan), Kim Jin-Su (Jeonbuk Motors), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan), Yoon Jong-Gyu (FC Seúl), Cho Yu-min (Daejeon Hana Citizen), Hong Chul (Daegu FC).
Midfielders: Kwon Chang-hoon (Gimcheon Sangmu), Na Sang-ho (FC Seúl), Paik Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Motors), Lee Kang-in (Real Mallorca), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Jeong Woo-Yeong (Friburgo), Hwang In-Beom (Olympiakos), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan), Na Sang-ho (FC Seúl).
Forwards: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk Motors), Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiakos).
Favorite team in Group H
Although it is a group that is, as we mentioned, very complicated to predict, we believe that Cristiano Ronaldo’s experience in Portugal’s ranks can help his team become the leader of the group. We should not forget about Uruguay, but we have to wait and see if the experienced players will blend well with the young ones to have a good level of play.
That is why Portugal should be the leader of Group H.
Group H schedule
- Matchday 1: Uruguay vs. Korea (Thursday, November 24 at 08:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 1: Portugal vs. Ghana (Thursday, November 24 at 11:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 2: Korea vs. Ghana (Monday, November 28 at 08:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 2: Portugal vs. Uruguay (Monday, November 28 at 02:00 pm ET.)
- Matchday 3: Korea vs. Portugal (Friday, December 2 at 10:00 am ET.)
- Matchday 3: Ghana vs. Uruguay (Friday, December 2 at 10:00 am ET.)
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