FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (UPDATES)

 

HIGHLIGHTS (4 MATCHES)

Cameroon VS Serbia

Cameroon and Serbia faced each other in a group G match on Monday at the Al Janoub stadium and a win or draw was the target for both the teams to stay alive in the tournament. Coming into the match both the teams were two of the six teams who were yet to score a goal in this year’s world cup. Both teams were defending well until the 29^th minute in which Cameroon’s center back Jean-Charles Castelleto guided the ball from a corner kick straight into the back of the net to score his first international goal. But just a bit later, at the extra time of the first half Serbia equalised and took the lead with the help of two goals by Strahinja Pavlovic and Sergej Millinkovic-Savic. Just after the start of the second half in the 53^rd minute Aleksandar Mitrovic scored and Serbia were high on confidence with a 3-1 lead but Cameroon had different plans, in the 63^rd minute substitute Vincent Aboubakar chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to score the second goal for his team which was initially denied as an offside goal but later awarded after VAR and in the 66^th minute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored the equaliser. At the end it was a draw but both these teams carry a hope of qualifying for the knockouts in their final group games.

South Korea VS Ghana

Ghana and South Korea met each other for a five goal group H thriller at the Education city stadium on Monday. Ghana were already in the lead in just the 24^th minute when Mohammed Salisu scored a goal through the clumsy defence of the South Koreans and just 10 minutes later in the 34^th minute Mohammed Kudus scored a goal with the help of an amazing cross directed towards him just in front of the Korean goal. But they fought back hard and in the 58^th minute Cho Gue-sung scored a goal with an amazing header and just in three minutes at the 61^st minute he scored again with an even better header to equalize but in the 68^th minute Mohammed Kudus produced another blinder to take the 3-2 lead. Both the teams were on their nerves till the last whistle blew and finally Ghana have 3 points and alive in the tournament while South Korea is also there with 1 point on the table above Uruguay.

Brazil VS Switzerland

Brazil took on Switzerland at the stadium 974 for their second group G match on Monday. Though Brazil was high on confidence and the favourites but the Swiss were none the less. Both the teams started attacking each other’s goal vigorously from the first whistle and were inches away from scoring at many occasions. In the 63^rd minute Vinicius Junior scored a goal but was denied after a VAR as offside. Finally in the 83^rd minute Brazil took the lead through the goal of Casemiro who found the slightest gap in the box and just guided the ball through. Brazil with that win are on 6 points and became the second team to qualify for the knockouts after France whereas Switzerland also have a chance of qualifying sitting on number 2 at the group with 3 points.

Portugal VS Uruguay

Portugal clashed with Uruguay for their group H match at the Lusail Stadium, Qatar. Portugal were looking for a spot at the round of 16 but Uruguay were searching their first win but they also knew that they neither can qualify nor can be eliminated no matter what the result is. Uruguay were creative with their attacks but what a performance by the Portuguese goalkeeper Diego Costa who denied success to the Uruguayan strikers every time they closed in towards the goal even on 1 on 1 scenarios. Finally in the 54^th minute Bruno Fernandes extended the ball towards the goal which Ronaldo tried to push in through a header but missed and despite that the ball went inside at the goalkeeper did not had any idea where the ball was headed because of a high jumping CR7 in front of him. Later both the teams missed chances of scoring because of hitting the bar but in the 93^rd minute when Uruguay got accused of a handball inside their box and Portugal were awarded a penalty after VAR and yet again Bruno Fernandes scored the penalty and took his team home with a 2-0 lead and a place at the knockout stage as the third team after Brazil And France on the other hand Uruguay still have chance if they can beat Ghana in their final group H fixture.

UPCOMING MATCH PREVIE(4 MATCHES)

Ecuador VS Senegal

The Group A of the FIFA World Cup 2022 is up for grabs for everyone in the third round. Netherlands stands first with four points whereas Ecuador and Senegal are at three point each. Surprisingly for the first time ever in World Cup history, the hosts Qatar are out of the tournament. Ecuador started the FIFA World Cup 2022 with a dominant win against Qatar. It is also possible that Qatar can upset everyone because they are yet to win in the tournament.

Netherland VS Qatar

Netherlands are on the cusp of qualifying for the round of 16. They could’ve qualified during their last encounter against Ecuador but Valencia‘s equalizer spoiled their early celebration. They will be facing hosts Qatar who are already out of the tournament after losing their both encounters. The match might be a dead rubber for Qatar but they can create big problems for the Netherlands. Netherlands has looked all compact in the both outings so far. Although they conceded against run of play against Ecuador but overall they were a tough defense to break. Although their attack is still a small area of concern but so far Cody Gakpo has been sensational for them in attack.

Iran VS USA

The match between Iran and the United States, which everyone will be rooting for, will be a difficult affair when viewed in a different light. Iran recovered from their huge defeat to England and showed ambition in a 2-0 win over Wales in the game’s final minute. They play the United States, and a win or a draw could send them to the round of 16 for the first time in their history. While the United States drew once again with England, they are second in the table with two points and will need to win to advance to the round of 16. They played with conviction in both matches but were terrible at not scoring. However, this encounter will have no exemptions, and lost opportunities will have implications.

 

England VS Wales

Wales and England will face off at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday in their final group game, with both sides keen to end the group stages on the strongest note possible. The Dragons got their big moment on match day one, holding the USA to a 1-1 draw, courtesy a late penalty from Gareth Bale. Even with 11 men on the pitch against Iran, Wales never really looked like scoring – with Page describing his side’s pre-red card performance as “not acceptable.” Their winless streak in all competitions now stands at an abysmal seven matches. If the three lions get all three points against Wales they will top the group.

After France, Brazil and Portugal, everyone is going to keep and eye on who is going through next. Stay tuned for all the updates. Thanks for reading.