Portugal 3-2 Ghana
Cristiano Ronaldo sets records in goals and awards in Portugal’s win at Stadium 974 in Ras Abu Aboud, Qatar.
It was not until the second half that both teams really checked into the match. All five goals were scored from the 65th minute and on. The first goal was scored by none other than Ronaldo, who converted the penalty by striking it hard and to the left-hand side of the goal, just above the hand of Lawrence Ati-Zigi. Cristiano is now the only player to score a goal in five different World Cups
Ghana would respond shortly after when a deflected cross was put right into the path of André Ayew, who tapped it into the goal from point-blank range.
Portugal would counter with two quick goals. João Félix scored in 78th after a great through ball from Bruno Fernandes sets him up to pass it past the keeper and into the lower lefthand corner of the goal. Rafael Leão scored two minutes later when Fernandes again sets up the striker for an easy pass across the goal and into the lower right-hand corner.
Ghana would get the last goal, but only as consolation as Osman Bukari heads the ball from outside the six, into the right side netting of the goal.
Now, Ghana would have the chance to tie in the last play of the game, when Iñaki Williams caught keeper Diogo Costa off guard. Williams would sneak up from behind and steal the ball from the keeper but slipped just as he would have had the chance the tap the ball into the empty goal.
After the game, Ronaldo would set another record for most man of the match (MOTM) awards as he picked up his seventh.
Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon
Breel Embolo scores against his birth country to get the Swiss their first win at the Al-Janoub stadium in Al-Wakrah, Qatar.
Cameroon started off well with striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting being their main creator. He had a couple of good chances but could not finish. The Swiss played a good first half as well but were held off thanks to a couple of last-second defending plays from Cameroon.
Two minutes into the second half, the Swiss took the lead. Embolo blasted the ball into the middle of the goal from outside of the six, thanks to a good pass in by Xherdan Shaqiri. After this, the game would remain as even as it started until the whistle blew and Switzerland could collect their three points.
Uruguay 0-0 Korea Republic
Uruguay and Korea Republic manage to hold each other off to a scoreless tie at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar.
Although the match ended with no goals, the match was anything but boring. Korea Republic had seven chances including a couple of good shots from Son Heung-min, but unfortunately, none of them found their way to the goal.
Uruguay created 10 chances and produced the two most threatening of the game, but luck was not on their side either. Defender Diego Godin had a great header off of a corner, but it would hit the bottom of the left post and roll back across the goal with no one to tap it in.
Later in the game, midfielder Federico Valverde had a shot from about 25 yards out, that would hit the upper left post, right where it meets the crossbar, and bounce out for a goal kick.
Brazil 2-0 Serbia
A brace from Richarlison gives Brazil the win at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.
The game started off with obvious nerves showing from both teams. There were numerous chances that could have been if it wasn’t for bad passes or simple mistakes that caused things to break down.
In the second half, Brazil started to feel more comfortable and got their first goal in the 62nd minute. After a good shot from Vinicius Junior, and an even better save from Vanja Milinković-Savić, Richarlison is able to tap in the rebound from inside the six.
Just nine minutes later, Richarlison gets his second, with so far, the best goal of the Cup. After a great pass into the box from Vinicius, Richarlison taps the ball up to himself, and then, from the penalty spot, whit a half bicycle-half scissors kick, hitting the ball over the shoulder of his defender and into the left side of the goal.
Based on the results of today, here are what groups G and H look like
Group G
- Brazil 3pts
- Switzerland 3pts
- Cameroon 0pts
- Serbia 0pts
Group H
- Portugal 3pts
- Korea Republic 1pts
- Uruguay 1pts
- Ghana 0pts
Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo, Wikipedia, Creative Commons
