A quick report on Uruguay-Ghana
[ De Arrascaeta double in vain as Uruguay win fails to take them throughOpens in new window ]
A quick report on South Korea-Portugal
[ Dramatic late goal against Portugal sees South Korea into World Cup knockoutsOpens in new window ]
That’s all from me then. That was mental. Every group has delivered so far, amazing drama. Son finally had his big moment for Korea with that run and slipped through ball. South Korea set to play Brazil in the next round. Portugal most likely to play Serbia or Switzerland in another grudge match.
For Uruguay, they were well deserved winners today, but why didn’t we see that approach until the second half against Portugal when they were behind? De Arrascaeta only started his first game of the tournament today, a conservative approach at the beginning of the tournament cost them. Ghana go out but with their head held high, despite missing another penalty against Uruguay.
FULL-TIME: Ghana 0 Uruguay 2
De La Cruz on target but straight at the goalkeeper... it’s over!
South Korea are through to the next round. Heartbreak for Uruguay! They lose out by one goal difference. What a few days for the Far East! Suarez in tears. Uruguayans players hounding the referee.
98 mins: Foul on Maxi Gomez. Free-kick 30 yards out for Uruguay. It’s all on this...
96 mins: Another superb shot by Sulemana, fantastic save by Rochet. Ghana have had plenty of chances in this half. Everyone forward for Uruguay, two minutes left. Rahman gives away the ball stupidly. Cavani squares to Coates but he misses!
94 mins: Four minutes left. Uruguay will not be happy with the refereee in this one. Kudus with a chance but well blocked. Now Uruguay break. Cavani to Coates... takes a long shot and Zigi saves well. What a finish!
93 mins: Cavani goes to the ground but the referee says no penalty! No VAR check. Controversial.
FULL-TIME: Portugal 1 South Korea 2. South Korea have won, amazing! Uruguay need to score, they’ve six minutes left. Reminder, a goal for Uruguay would knock South Korea out on goal difference. Otherwise they’re out.
89 mins: Oh my word, what a save by Zigi! Cross by De La Cruz and Cavani with a superb powerful header but Zigi tips it over. Uruguay need another goal or else they’re out.
GOAL FOR SOUTH KOREA! Amazing! Counter attack from the corner! Son runs down and plays a beautiful pass into Hwang. Korea are going through!
What were Portugal doing committing so many players forward at that time in the game when they would have topped the group? Suarez and Nunez in tears on the bench. South Korea fans in tears in the crowd. Incredible scenes.
84 mins: Ghana running out of time, as are South Korea.
It’s stoppage time in Portugal-South Korea but it’s Portugal on the attack as much as Korea. Six minutes left for South Korea.
80 mins: Chance for Ghana! Partey knocks it on with a good touch and Semenyo gets the ball in the box but pulls the shot wide to the right. He’ll be disappointed to not hit the target there. Nunez and goalscorer De Arrascaeta are off for Uruguay.
82 mins: Another chance. Great shot again by Kudus, good touch and a fantastic save by Rochet, that was going in the corner.
78 mins: Kudus will be another big cheque on the way for Ajax after this tournament, you imagine, great touch and dribbling. Valverde tries a shot from near the halfway line for a wonder goal but it goes over the bar.
73 mins: Nice turn, dribble and shot by Kudus as he goes past three players but just hits it over. If Ghana are going to score you imagine it will be through Kudus. Two more changes for Ghana, on comes Kyereh and Semenyo.
70 mins: Ghana lacking a bit of quality today and need to try something different to get back into the game. South Korea have 15 minutes to score against Portugal to go through on goal difference. Brilliant long-range drive by Valverde brings Ghana keeper Zigi into action.
65 mins: Oof great ball into the box by Sulemana for Ghana but nobody can get on the end of it. On the other end, Valverde lays off to Pellestri in the box but it’s a poor finish and he misses the target. Off goes Suarez and Pellestri for De la Cruz and Cavani.
60 mins: No penalty for Uruguay. The RTÉ commentators don’t agree with that one, controversial. Amartey looked like he got a touch on the ball, but possibly catching Nunez too. Anyway, play on. Suarez gets a yellow card to kicking the ball away. Bringing the chaos as expected.
Ronaldo, Neves and Nunes off for Portugal for Silva, Leao and Palhinha. Good save by Costa as South Korea had a chance from a good shot.
56 mins: Ghana struggling to find a breakthrough as Uruguay sit back on their lead. A good long ball from Ghana defence almost creates an opening, but Rochet stands strong. Then a long ball by Uruguay and Nunez beats the defender with his pace and falls down, but ref says no penalty. Looked like Amartey took him down by the replay though...
Son gets in behind for South Korea but is well blocked. He tries to get the crowd up for it. The corner is blasted wide though.
47 mins: Big change as both Ayews are off for Ghana, Bukari and Sulemana on. Vecino on for Bentancur for Uruguay. Ghana have a chance with a low cross but Kudus just misses it when lunging.
Second half back on in Portugal-South Korea. no chances in the first five minutes of that half though. Portugal dominate possession.
HALF-TIME: Ghana 0 Uruguay 2
Oh Uruguay and Suarez continue to haunt Ghana. Ayew misses the penalty, following in the footsteps of Ayew in 2010. Suarez makes a big difference and rolls back the years with an excellent first-half display, almost scores himself for the first goal, great assist for De Arrascaeta for the second. Ghana look a bit lost. But they will give it all in the second half.
45 + 6 mins: Pellestri holds his face after a slight push from the defender. Unnecessary playacting by the Uruguayan. Ghana need the break to regroup, Uruguay’s strong midfield is dominating. Salisu plays a nice ball over the top but Williams can’t quite get to the ball.
HALF-TIME: Portugal 1 South Korea 1. South Korea need to win to have a chance to go through, they’re well in with a chance.
45 mins: Eight minutes of stoppage time in Ghana-Uruguay, as per usual in this World Cup. Two minutes in the other game.
42 mins: Nunez off again, giving Salisu a bit of a runaround, but can’t find Suarez. Uruguay too strong for Ghana so far. A stamp by De Arrascaeta on a Ghana player? Lucky to get away with that one.
Meanwhile Ronaldo misses another good chance. Heads wide from close range.
37 mins: Fantastic turn by Kudus and take a powerful shot that’s well blocked by Gimenez. But corner leads to nothing.
32 mins: GOAL FOR URUGUAY! It’s that man again De Arrascaeta. How did it take for this long for him to start a game for Uruguay, you have to wonder? Suarez with great build up play, flicking it on to De Arrascaeta in the box, who finishes low past the keeper. What a dreadful 15 minutes for Ghana.
In the other game, Ronaldo misses a good chance, well saved by the keeper.
GOAL FOR SOUTH KOREA! It’s all kicking off now! The ball hits Ronaldo from a corner and falls to Kim Young-gwon in the box who finishes past the keeper.
26 mins: GOAL FOR URUGUAY! Oh dear Ghana. Luis Suarez almost with the goal himself. Both defenders miss the ball from a cross, terrible defending. Suarez dummies then shoots, it’s saved by the Ghana keeper Zigi but only to De Arrascaeta who nods in. Wow.
23 mins: Almost a goal for Uruguay! Nunez presses Amartey and wins the ball and he’s through on goal, chips the keeper but Salisu kicks away just off the line out for a corner. A big let off for Ghana.
20 mins: PENALTY TO GHANA! Suarez complains but the ref has made his final decision. Some pushing and shoving and Nunez gets given a yellow card. Andre Ayew to take... and he misses! Terrible penalty after a slow walk up to the ball. Can you believe it, Ghana have missed another penalty against Uruguay after 2010.
17 mins: Kudus breaks through sharply and Kudus gets to the ball to Williams on the wing, he takes a good shot but it’s straight at the keeper Rochet, who clumsily doesn’t hold it and Kudus wins it first. Looks like it could have been a penalty. VAR check.
Meanwhile South Korea have the ball in the net, but it’s offside by Kim Jin-Su after a good save from a header by Diogo Costa was rebounded in.
12 mins: Nunez a similar threat to when at Liverpool, great turn of pace making space but then clumsy and loses the track of the ball under his feet. A slight chance for Uruguay.
6 mins: GOAL FOR PORTUGAL! Ricardo Horta scores from six yards after a long ball over the top was played in from the wing from Manchester United full-back Dalot for Horta to easily finish. Terrible start for South Korea.
2 mins: Japan shocked a European heavyweight last night, can their neighbours South Korea do the same against Portugal?
Uruguay have an early counter against Ghana and Nunez falls down but the referee says no foul.
Some great reading from yesterday (unless you’re Romelu Lukaku that is) as Lukaku suffers the five circles of football hell with his misses against Croatia, writes Ken Early. The second-half substitute endured an extraordinary personal nightmare in scoreless draw with Croatia.
“He remained in this attitude of – shock? mourning? penitence? self-pity? – as the game went on around him. And this seemed to displease the gods of football, who sent one more chance as if to mock him.”
Check out the fan view from the World Cup in Qatar as Mike Cronin was in Qatar embracing the culture, forgetting the beer, and mixing with fans and workers.
“Europe, and the European way of going to the match should not be the sole global template for the game. The World Cup will, and hopefully under a more transparent process, return to countries of the Middle East and venture into the northern countries of the continent of Africa in the future. When it does, we will again have to forget the beer, embrace a different culture, and perhaps the global game will be better for it.”
[ A View from Qatar: ‘The games were none the worse for a lack of pints’Opens in new window ]
So “the devil” himself, Luis Suárez starts up front for Uruguay against Ghana. Captain Diego Godín from has been dropped from defence. Suárez will be joined by Darwin Nunez and Facundo Pellistri. Attack-minded midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta also starts.
Ghana make two changes to the team that beat South Korea 3-2, restoring Alidu Seidu and Baba Rahman to the fullback positions they played in during the opening game against Portugal, in place of Tariq Lamptey and Gideon Mensah.
For Portugal, Ronaldo starts despite Portugal already being through. There are six changes to the side. Kim Min-jae misses out for South Korea.
Ghana: Lawrence Ati-Zigi, Alidu Seidu, Daniel Amartey, Mohammed Salisu, Baba Rahman, Thomas Partey, Salis Abdul Samed, Mohammed Kudus, Andre Ayew, Jordan Ayew, Inaki Williams
Uruguay: Sergio Rochet, Guillermo Varela, Jose Gimenez, Sebastian Coates, Mathias Olivera, Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Valverde, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Facundo Pellestri, Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez
South Korea: Kim Seung-gyu, Kim Moon-hwan, Kwon Kyung-won, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Jin-su, Lee Jae-sung, Lee Kang-in, Jeong Woo-yeong, Hwang In-beom, Son Heung-min, Cho Gue-sung
Portugal: Diogo Costa, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Antonio Silva, Joao Cancelo, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves, Vitinha, Joao Mario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Horta
“Just in case Ghanaian memories were fading, Uruguay granted them an audience with a ghost.” Luis Suárez took the press conference before the Ghana game and came out fighting, justifying his decision to punch the ball from the net in the last minute to deny Ghana the goal that would put them into the World Cup semi-finals in 2010.
“I didn’t say sorry because I did the handball but Ghana’s player missed the penalty, not me,” he said. “Maybe I would apologise if I tackled and injured a player but in this situation I took the red card, the referee gave a penalty and it’s not my fault because I didn’t miss the penalty. The player who missed it said he’d do the same. It’s not my responsibility to take the penalty.”
[ ‘I’m not sorry’: Luis Suárez back in eye of the storm for Ghana rematchOpens in new window ]
Rewatch that infamous moment here and make your own mind up on the ethical merits. It sets up an interesting game anyway, that’s for sure. Luis Suárez starts up front with Darwin Nunez.
Hellow and welcome to live coverage of the afternoon World Cup games, with two games in group H. Portugal are through and will top the group barring a loss and convincing victory for Ghana against Uruguay. Ghana will progress with a draw against Uruguay, as long as South Korea don’t beat Portugal by two goals. Uruguay need to beat Ghana, that will put them through if South Korea don’t beat Portugal. If South Korea beat Portugal, then Uruguay will have to better their result to go through.
In other words, all to play for!
