Brazil must play without injured star forward Neymar against Switzerland on Monday in order for Portugal to advance to the World Cup last 16 in Qatar. Cristiano Ronaldo is aiming to lead Portugal there.
As Cristiano Ronaldo tries to lead Portugal into the last 16 World Cup in Qatar, Brazil must play Switzerland without injured star forward Neymar on Monday.
Depending on the outcome of the early game between Serbia and Cameroon that day, Brazil, the five-time champions of the world, could advance to the knockout stage with a victory over Switzerland.
Neymar left the match after limping off with a sprained ankle in Brazil’s 2-0 Group G victory over Serbia.
Marquinhos, a Brazil center-back, stated, “At the time it was difficult for him and after the game, he was sad which I think is normal given how much he has dreamed of this.”
“Now, following the tests and treatment, he is doing physiotherapy all day, every day, demonstrating how much he wants to be back with us.
“We hope it comes as soon as possible, but we don’t know when,”
In Portugal’s opening 3-2 victory over Ghana in Group H, Ronaldo converted a disputed penalty to become the first man to score in five World Cups. Portugal will advance to the second round if they defeat Uruguay at the Lusail Stadium, which will host the final on December 18.
After fracturing three ribs in training and being ruled out for the remainder of the group stage, 39-year-old Pepe is likely to start in defense.
He would become the second oldest outfielder to play in a World Cup match after the great Roger Milla of Cameroon.
After losing their first match to Switzerland, Cameroon will try to get back on track against Serbia, who FIFA is looking into after the team hung a controversial flag of Kosovo in their changing room before losing to Brazil.
South Korea mentor Paulo Bento says the group will see an “alternate” Child Heung-min against Ghana after the forward became accustomed to his defensive facial covering during their 0-0 draw with Uruguay.
Prior to coming to Qatar, Child had a medical procedure to fix a break around his left eye he languished while playing over Tottenham Hotspur recently.
“He needed to get comfortable with his teammates first, then with the opponents. Bento stated, “The second game will be different.”
Germany has hope – Substitution Niclas Fuellkrug’s late equalizer in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Spain gave Germany a chance to qualify for the last 16 of the tournament.
In the 62nd minute of a tense encounter at Al Bayt Stadium between the two World Cup winners, Alvaro Morata had given Spain the lead.
Germany must have woken up on Sunday with the worry of missing the group stage for the second time in a row after suffering a shocking loss to Japan in their first match.
However, the Germans were helped by Costa Rica, which overcame Spain’s 7-0 defeat to defeat Japan 1-0 before holding Spain.
Manuel Neuer, the captain of Germany, stated, “The most important thing is we are still alive.”
Belgium’s surprise 2-0 defeat to Morocco severely dented their chances of qualifying from Group F.
Belgium would have advanced to the knockout round if they had won, but Morocco won for the first time in 24 years thanks to goals from Romain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlal in the final minute.
“We are not having fun playing.”It might be the weight on our shoulders,” said Roberto Martinez, the coach of Belgium.
Alphonso Davies’ goal in the second Group F matchup on Sunday put Canada ahead of Croatia after just two minutes, but the beaten champions of 2018 prevailed 4-1.
Morocco will be confident of reaching the second phase for the first time since 1986 with a victory over Canada, while the eliminated Canadians will be playing solely for pride.