World News
Cristiano Ronaldo joins Portugal after leaving Manchester United.
Nov
Cristiano Ronaldo will begin his World Cup campaign with Portugal two days after leaving Manchester United.
Cristiano Ronaldo will start Portugal’s World Cup campaign two days after his contentious split from Manchester United, hoping to put the last week and a half of events behind him.
The 37-year-old Ronaldo’s last World Cup, a prize that has so far evaded him throughout the course of his distinguished career, gets underway on Thursday against Ghana at Stadium 974.
Ronaldo would also be able to put his tumultuous divorce from United behind him if the tournament in Qatar went well, since he finished his second stint at the club on Tuesday.
It followed the forward’s heated Talk TV interview, in which he attacked manager Erik ten Hag and said that he felt deceived by United.
And Ronaldo has given guarantees that the start of the World Cup won’t cause his bombshell interview to distract his Portuguese teammates.
He told reporters on Monday, “In my life, the finest time is always my timing.” I don’t need to consider what other people may think. Anytime I want, I talk. The players have known me for a long time and are familiar with my personality.
Ronaldo received a two-game suspension and a £50,000 (about $60,000) punishment from the English Football Association (FA) for swiping a spectator’s mobile phone earlier this year, which came after the news of his departure from Manchester United.
The incident happened after United’s 1-0 defeat to Everton on April 1. In addition to the punishment and ban, which do not apply during the World Cup but will follow Ronaldo to whatever new club he joins, the FA also issued a warning to Ronaldo over his future behavior.
Group H has been established.
Pedigree and star power, though, don’t seem to matter much in this World Cup, as underdogs have done well against more powerful opponents.
No team should be underrated, and no team should get complacent. Saudi Arabia rallied from behind to upset Argentina 2-1, and Japan did the same against Germany.
Portugal enters the tournament in Qatar with a lot of firepower and a lot to prove after not making it beyond the World Cup semifinals since 2006.
Despite the absence of Liverpool striker Diogo Jota due to injury, players like Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Cancelo, and Bernardo Silva of Manchester City are all expected to play on Thursday.
A Ghanaian side that is out of form but still has talent will play against them.
The “signings” of attacker Inaki Williams and right-back Tariq Lamptey before the competition may help the Black Stars, who were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations following a humiliating group-stage loss to Comoros in January.
Williams and Lamptey switched allegiances from England and Spain earlier this year.
Star midfielder Mohammed Kudus, as well as Thomas Partey and the Ayew brothers, Jordan and Andre, are available to Otto Addo, the sole part-time coach in the competition.
It remains to be seen whether Addo, who mostly serves as a scout for the German club Borussia Dortmund, can inspire Ghana.
South Korea and Uruguay, who meet each other on Thursday at the Education City Stadium, are both members of Group H.
Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez’s experiences will help Uruguay, which is the favorite. The assault will also include Darwin Nez of Liverpool, whose midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Federico Valverde have been on fire recently.
The good news for South Korea is that top player Son Heung-Min has made a full recovery from an injury to his eye socket and has been practicing this week while wearing a protective face mask.
Brazil will face Serbia.
Brazil and Serbia will be the last two teams to begin their campaigns when they play each other in the other games on Thursday at Lusail Stadium.
Brazil, a five-time winner, undoubtedly has the most talented and deepest offensive lineup in the competition.
Neymar Jr., like fellow talismans Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, is aiming for his first World Cup title.Forward, he will be well supported by Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., Barcelona’s Raphinha, and Tottenham’s Richarlison.
However, Serbia won’t be taken lightly and boasts a talented bunch of goal scorers in captain Duan Tadi, Juventus forward Duan Vlahovi, and Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. Serbia finished first in its qualification group, ahead of Portugal. But before the competition, Vlahovi and Mitrovic were both dealing with ailments.
Serbia will likely have to compete with Switzerland and Cameroon, who play each other on Thursday, to advance to the round of 16—barring any unfavorable outcomes for Brazil. Serbia is hoping to reach the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the first time.
But as this World Cup has shown, there are always possibilities.
The games on Thursday
Swiss vs. Cameroon at 5 a.m. Eastern
South Korea vs. Uruguay at 8 a.m. ET
Ghana vs. Portugal, 11 a.m. ET
Serbia vs. Brazil at 2:00 p.m.
How to view
Fox Sports
Either the BBC or ITV
SBS Australia
SportTV in Brazil
ARD, ZDF, and Deutsche Telekom are in Germany.
Bell Media in Canada
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
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