South Korea 2-1 Portugal: Son Heung-min sets up Hwang Hee-chan for stoppage-time winner as ANOTHER 100% record falls at the World Cup - with Korea qualifying for the last-16 on GOALS SCORED
- South Korea followed Portugal into the World Cup last-16 in dramatic fashion with a stoppage time winner
- Hwang Hee-chan finished neatly from Son Heung-min's through pass to win the match for South Korea
- But there then followed a nail-biting wait as Uruguay pushed for the goal against Ghana to take them through
- They couldn't find a third goal in stoppage time, meaning South Korea finished above them on goals scored
- Portugal had taken an early advantage when Ricardo Horta swept home but Kim Young-gwon equalised
- Click here for the latest World Cup 2022 news, fixtures, live action and results
Son Heung-min collected a clearance, deep inside his own half and turned towards the Portugal goal, just as the stadium announcer declared six minutes of stoppage time.
Before him, a vast expanse of green turf. Son looked exhausted but he put his head down and summoned one last effort, carrying the ball forwards at pace, luring three defenders towards him.
As they converged, he slipped a pass through the legs of Diogo Dalot to Hwang Heechan, the Wolves striker, on as a sub, who swept it beyond Portugal's 'keeper Diogo Costa into the net.
![Hwang Hee-chan wheels away in celebration after scoring the dramatic stoppage time goal to send South Korea to the last-16](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65180649-11491443-image-a-59_1670001057792.jpg)
Hwang Hee-chan wheels away in celebration after scoring the dramatic stoppage time goal to send South Korea to the last-16
![The Wolves striker, who came off the bench, was mobbed by his team-mates after scoring the decisive goal for his side](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65180659-11491443-image-a-61_1670001061855.jpg)
The Wolves striker, who came off the bench, was mobbed by his team-mates after scoring the decisive goal for his side
![There were wild celebrations at the winning goal, followed by a tense wait to see if Uruguay would score another goal](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65180665-11491443-image-a-64_1670001065385.jpg)
There were wild celebrations at the winning goal, followed by a tense wait to see if Uruguay would score another goal
![Having watched the final minutes of the Ghana vs Uruguay match on a phone screen, the celebrations could eventually begin](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65180667-11491443-image-a-66_1670001419395.jpg)
Having watched the final minutes of the Ghana vs Uruguay match on a phone screen, the celebrations could eventually begin
South Korea were ahead for the first time in the game and on course for the last 16.
Across Doha, Uruguay were beating Ghana 2-0 and, as things stood, giving them four points but the Koreans were in second by virtue of their four goals score to Uruguay's two.
The Group H table flashed up on the big screens to a huge roar of approval. Portugal were top, sure of progress before this game, and South Korea were second.
Son tore off his protective mask, threw it high in the sky and collapsed in tears at the final whistle. Uruguay and Ghana, however, were still playing at the Al Janoub Stadium. South Korea's players linked arms and huddled in the centre of the pitch to see phones streaming the action from the other game.
![South Korean players celebrate in style after confirmation was received of their World Cup last-16 place after much drama](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65180939-11491443-image-a-68_1670001576671.jpg)
South Korean players celebrate in style after confirmation was received of their World Cup last-16 place after much drama
![They posed in front of their fans while waving the national flag after booking a place in the knockout rounds for the third time](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65180943-11491443-image-a-70_1670001605167.jpg)
They posed in front of their fans while waving the national flag after booking a place in the knockout rounds for the third time
Another goal for the South Americans and they would advance instead, with a better goal difference. Excruciatingly, the seconds ticked by and that goal never came and Spurs star Son led a second wave of celebrations, erupting into tears once again as he danced in front of the strong section of Korean support.
'These tears are tears of happiness,' said Son, unlike four years ago when his team went out in the group stage, despite winning their final group game and knocking out defending champions Germany in their final game in Russia.
'We waited really long for this moment and we as players believed altogether we could do this. There were moments when I wasn't able to do my best and I am thankful for my teammates that they were able to cover me in the moments I wasn't able to fulfil my duties and I'm very proud of them.'
It is only a month since Son broke a cheekbone near his eye socket playing for Spurs against Marseille. There is a scar of about a centimetre by his left eye from the surgery and he did not look at his sharpest but he refused to give in.
![Hwang timed his burst through to perfection to remain onside before finishing clinically to send South Korea through](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65180263-11491443-image-a-71_1670001630107.jpg)
Hwang timed his burst through to perfection to remain onside before finishing clinically to send South Korea through
![The Wolves forward whipped off his shirt to celebrate another famous moment for the South Korean team against Portugal](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65180167-11491443-image-a-73_1670001660930.jpg)
The Wolves forward whipped off his shirt to celebrate another famous moment for the South Korean team against Portugal
'When Son got the ball, I was convinced he would pass to me,' said goal hero Hwang. 'It was an excellent pass. It made my job easy. It was difficult waiting for the other result but we proved we could make it to knock-out phase and we kept that trust.'
It was emotional. South Korea's task had been tough enough at the start, and it became tougher still when they went behind inside five minutes against a Portugal team resting some big names but led by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Pepe passed the ball long out of defence to Dalot, who took the ball in his stride with a fine first touch and cut it back to and Ricardo Horta, darting in at the near post to convert the low cross.
![Portugal had made the perfect start when Ricardo Horta swept in a fifth-minute opener from Diogo Dalot's cut back](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65176367-11491443-image-a-75_1670001729156.jpg)
Portugal had made the perfect start when Ricardo Horta swept in a fifth-minute opener from Diogo Dalot's cut back
![Horta runs off to celebrate his first World Cup goal and his second for Portugal as they looked to make it three wins from three](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65176323-11491443-image-a-77_1670001750655.jpg)
Horta runs off to celebrate his first World Cup goal and his second for Portugal as they looked to make it three wins from three
![South Korea managed to equalise when Kim Young-gwon scored from close range having stolen behind Portuguese lines](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65176907-11491443-image-a-79_1670001776693.jpg)
South Korea managed to equalise when Kim Young-gwon scored from close range having stolen behind Portuguese lines
![Kim Jin-su retrieved the ball from the Portuguese net after Kim Young-gwon had levelled, knowing they needed to win](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65176995-11491443-image-a-82_1670001806733.jpg)
Kim Jin-su retrieved the ball from the Portuguese net after Kim Young-gwon had levelled, knowing they needed to win
![There were familiar frustrations for Cristiano Ronaldo as he was unable to make a telling impact on the encounter](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65178471-11491443-image-a-84_1670001840435.jpg)
There were familiar frustrations for Cristiano Ronaldo as he was unable to make a telling impact on the encounter
This opening sequence made for uncomfortable viewing for Paulo Bento, the former Portugal international now in charge of South Korea and sent off by referee Anthony Taylor at the end of the previous game against Ghana.
Bento, banned from the touchline, took his seat in the stands and soon became tangled dispute with a couple of Portugal supporters who were telling him to sit down so they could see.
South Korea had a goal ruled out for offside before levelling from a corner, delivered by Lee Kangin and unwittingly assisted by Ronaldo, who was unsighted by players leaping across him as the ball struck his back and dropped for Kim Young-gwon to score.
Portugal created chances without adding a second while South Korea were restricted to ambitious long-range shots. Three by Son were blocked or saved. Hwang Inbeom fired in another 25-yarder, sweet but straight at Costa.
Ronaldo became locked into an argument as he was replaced and refused to hasten his departure, returning to the bench in another strop. 'The player from Korea was insulting him, telling him to go away, that is the reason he was angry,' said Portugal boss Fernando Santos. 'Everyone saw that.'
Still, South Korea did not look like finding the precious goal and the game seemed to be fading into a draw when they cleared a corner in the first minute of stoppage time Son picked up the ball and started to run. The run and the pass the finish by Hwang would take them into the last 16 of the World Cup and send Uruguay home.
![Ronaldo's best opening came just before half-time but his effort was saved by the South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65177157-11491443-image-a-86_1670001866789.jpg)
Ronaldo's best opening came just before half-time but his effort was saved by the South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu
![Portugal's captain was eventually replaced after 65 minutes having failed to add to his one goal of the World Cup so far](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/02/17/65179137-11491443-image-a-88_1670001912419.jpg)
Portugal's captain was eventually replaced after 65 minutes having failed to add to his one goal of the World Cup so far
RE-LIVE THE ACTION AS IT UNFOLDED WITH ADAM SHERGOLD BELOW
Well that certainly didn’t disappoint! What a thrilling finish to Group H with the upshot that Portugal and South Korea are heading into the last-16, with Ghana and Uruguay out.
Thanks for joining my coverage. If you refresh this page shortly, you’ll be able to read Matt Barlow’s match report and we’ll have all the reaction on our sports page as the night goes on.
Bye for now.
The South Korean players were all huddled around watching the final moments of the other game on a little phone screen. Then a wild outpouring of joy as the whistle went.
These final games of the group stage have been so dramatic.
Wow, what a dramatic finale to Group H… Uruguay needed a third goal and they couldn’t find it.
They beat Ghana 2-0 but it isn’t enough in the end because of that South Korea goal right at the death from Hwang.
Ghana are out. Uruguay are out. South Korea and Portugal are through to the last-16.
Sebastian Coates sends a shot wide from Edinson Cavani’s low ball into the box. Cavani should have hit that. Vital seconds slip by for Uruguay.
Three minutes left and Maxi Gomez is denied with a low save by the Ghana keeper. Incredible drama at the conclusion to Group H!
Luis Suarez, who has been taken off, in tears on the bench.
Basically, we’re into stoppage time in the other game and Uruguay have about six and a bit minutes to find a third goal.
Well, South Korea have done all they can do. They have beaten Portugal, the whistle has sounded.
However, the Ghana vs Uruguay game is a few minutes behind so not done yet.
Cheers from the Korean fans in the crowd as the table is shown on the screens in the stadium.
They could be into the last 16 for only the third time in their history.
That is the goal they wanted! It is the goal that could well take South Korea into the last-16 of the World Cup!
Really it didn’t look likely but then it was Son Heung-min, charging downfield for one last assault. He had Hwang Hee-Chan ahead of him, the run perfectly timed, the ball slipped through and the finish unerring.
As it stands, South Korea are going through on goals scored!
90min: Instead it’s Joao Cancelo winning a corner kick for Portugal as we tick over into what will be six minutes of stoppage time.
But South Korea struggling to get on the ball at the minute.
88min: Not too many signs that a late onslaught is about to occur. Surely the South Koreans must know the situation?
Son on the charge there but again doesn’t look up to see the options and William Carvalho nicks the ball off him.
84min: if things stay as they are with Uruguay only two goals to the good against Ghana, just one South Korea goal here would take them through on goals scored!
It’s kitchen sink time, surely?
82min: It’s a change for South Korea as they gamble in the final stages of this game. Kim Young-gwon, the defender, is going to be withdrawn through injury. Son Jun-ho replaces him.
Also on is Hwang Ui-jo for South Korea
Portugal have also rung the changes, with William Carvalho and Bernardo Silva introduced for Vitinha and Joao Mario.
78min: Portugal causing issues down the right side twice in quick succession. Nice footwork but the end product lacking on both occasions.
75min: Into the final 15 and Portugal, as it stands, are going through as group winners. Uruguay still lead Ghana 2-0 and will be heading through in second.
But a South Korean goal would make things interesting…
70min: South Korea are screaming for a penalty for handball against Joao Cancelo as he blocked a firmly hit back post shot by Son. The fans in red behind the goal also wanted it. Just a corner though, which comes to nothing.
67min: Good strike there by South Korea’s Hwang In-beom, who forces a decent reaction save from Diogo Costa to push the ball back out. Straight at the keeper though.
63min: Just past the hour mark and changes afoot for both teams.
South Korea are bringing on Hwang Hee-Chan, of Wolves, who has overcome a hamstring issue. Lee Jae-sung goes off.
A triple sub for Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo is one of those being taken off, also Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes. On come Andre Silva, Rafael Leao and Joao Palhinha.
So Ronaldo’s record will have to wait for the knockout round.
61min: Son drives South Korea forward from halfway but took the wrong choice to ignore his team-mates and didn’t get the pass off before Joao Cancelo tackled him.
55min: Another inviting cross by Diogo Dalot that has to be dealt with, then Ruben Neves with a nice ball out to Cancelo on the other wing. South Korea do just about enough to clear the danger with Nunes lurking.
They counter down the other end and Son Heung-min is briefly in with a sight of goal, only for the block to be made.
51min: Portugal have dominated possession during the early stages of the second-half as they push for the lead again.
Matheus Nunes tries to pick out Ronaldo, who’d made a dart into the box, but can’t get enough elevation.
Ronaldo then miscues his shot right in front of goal but has blushes spared by a raised flag.
47min: Ronaldo, who has struggled to impose himself on proceedings, gives another look of disgust as he is flagged offside, having gone a split-second too early with his run.
Portugal get the second period underway in Al Rayyan - no changes made at the interval.
While it remains 1-1 here, Portugal look set to go through as group winners.
And as it stands, they will be joined by Uruguay, who are two goals up on Ghana. Uruguay have four points as it stands and Ghana three points.
Things could get interesting if South Korea move in front during the second period, however.
45+2min: Portugal still pushing and Ronaldo burst into the clear before seeing his shot blocked out for a corner.
Joao Mario’s delivery evades everyone and they can’t retrieve the situation as South Korea hold firm.
And that will be the break. That was a very watchable first-half and the parity is a fair reflection. Portugal took an early lead through Ricardo Horta but South Korea came back into the game really strongly, levelling through Kim Young-Gwon.
45min: Just the two minutes of added time - a low number that always comes as a surprise during this tournament.
44min: Portugal have really stepped things up in pursuit of a second goal. More fine skill by Vitinha and the ball is cut back to Horta, whose shot lacks the power needed.
42min: Good football by Portugal as they work the ball from the left to the right. A little step by Vitinha works space to shoot and it’s a parry by Kim.
Ronaldo is the first to react, right in front of goal, but he can’t quite shape his body in time to steer the ball goalwards.
40min: A first-half that has been pretty entertaining now into the final five minutes.
South Korea on the attack and a nice bit of skill by Son tees up a chance for him. Clean strike but lacked power and easily saved.
36min: Lee Kang-in goes into the book for a tackle on Vitinha but replays show the Korean man won the ball. Strange decision.
34min: Portugal threatening once again. Another run by Dalot that was well-timed to stay onside and he decides to shoot, aiming for the bottom corner, and Kim needs to make a good save.
Another goal for Uruguay… but South Korea won’t want them to score too many goals as it makes their task harder.
Portugal and Uruguay the pair going through as it stands.
30min: Ronaldo bursting through for the first time but he’s denied by a very good save by Kim Seung-gyu, who smothered the ball and deflected it to safety.
Not that it would have counted, with the offside flag going up belatedly.
And having only exerted light pressure, South Korea have now got themselves level!
The goal came from a corner as the ball deflected off Ronaldo off all people and fell kindly for Kim right in front of goal, perfect for him to sweep the ball home from close range.
And with that Uruguay goal as well, things looking a bit more promising for the South Koreans.
A bit of drama from the other Group H game where Ghana’s Andre Ayew has seen a penalty saved by Uruguay keeper Sergio Rochet. It remains 0-0.
That means Ghana are still following Portugal through to the last-16 but Ayew could have made things more comfortable
23min: Fine delivery by Matheus Nunes from the left and Ronaldo almost stole in before a necessary interception was made by the defender.
A second Portugal goal would be a killer blow even at this relatively early stage, you feel.
21min: Hwan In-beom with the perfect cross-field pass to Son Heung-min on the left but South Korea’s eventual cross is easily dealt with.
Portugal then push out with a hard press and force them back downfield.
16min: The volume levels rise when Son Heung-min receives the ball and he wins his side a corner.
He whips in a cross which Diogo Costa has to keep out. The ball is tapped in by Kim Jin-su but from an offside position. Looked like Cho Gue-sung got the headed flick onto Son’s cross.
14min: Cho Gue-sung trying to press Portugal at the back but there’s always an exit route and the latest Portugal move results in Joao Cancelo cutting inside on the left and firing to the near post, where Kim Seung-gyu is required to make a near post block.
Lovely skill from the Man City man to get inside Kim Moon-hwan.
12min: It’s all been pretty comfortable for Portugal since opening the scoring. The pressure very much on South Korea to press the issue now.
Of course, as we saw in the Japan vs Spain game last night, getting a breakthrough goal doesn’t necessarily guarantee victory.
Well, it hasn’t taken too long for Portugal to break the deadlock…
A superb long pass from 39-year-old Pepe out to Diogo Dalot wide on the right. His touch is excellent and it allows him to burrow into the South Korea box.
Dalot cuts the ball back where Portugal players were queuing up to score. It falls to Horta to sweep home his first tournament goal and it’s the ideal start.
2min: South Korea seeing most of the early possession. You’d say the onus rests on them to force the issue here knowing they need the three points more than Portugal.
Son Heung-min with an early involvement, still wearing that protective face mask.
We are underway at the Education City Stadium following the pre-match formalities.
South Korea are in all red today, while Portugal are in change colours of all-white for this one.
What drama lies in store over the next 90 minutes?
The players have emerged into a superb atmosphere in Al Rayyan and are listening to the national anthems with kick-off just minutes away now.
If Portugal avoid defeat they win the group and, in all likelihood, avoid a last-16 encounter with Brazil - so plenty of incentive there.
South Korea must win to stand any chance of making the knockout rounds.
Almost time for the Group H finale to get underway. Remember, I will keep you posted on all the latest from the Ghana vs Uruguay match as well and how that affects the table.
You can follow that game in more detail by CLICKING HERE but we will be focusing on Portugal vs South Korea.
The players have headed back in following their warm-ups at the Education City Stadium and will be out shortly for the game.
PORTUGAL
Diogo Costa; Dalot, António Silva, Pepe, Cancelo; Neves, Vitinha, Nunes, João Mário; Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Horta.
Substitutes: Rui Patricio, Dias, Guerreiro, Joao Palhinha, Bruno Fernandes, Andre Silva, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Jose Sa, William Carvalho, Leao, Goncalo Ramos.
SOUTH KOREA
Seung-Gyu Kim, Moon-Hwan Kim, Kyung-Won Kwon, Young-Gwon Kim, Jin-Su Kim, Jung, In-Beom Hwang, Kang-In Lee, Jae-Sung Lee, Heung-Min Son, Gue-Sung Cho
Substitutes: Yoon, Min-Jae Kim, Paik, Hee-Chan Hwang, Bum-Keun Song, Jun-Ho Son, Hong, Eui-Jo Hwang, Na, Jo, Chang-Hoon Kwon, Tae-Hwan Kim, Yu-Min Cho, Jeong, Min-Kyu Song.
Just the one point on the board for South Korea from their first two games - yet the group has been pretty open and they can still make it through.
They started off with a goalless draw against Uruguay which failed to hit any heights at all.
Then came the drama of their 3-2 loss to Ghana on matchday two, which saw Cho Gue-sung net twice to bring the Koreans back into it after they went two goals down in the first-half.
However, it was left to Mohammed Kudus to score Ghana’s winner and put them in pole position to qualify ahead of this final round of games.
Hope isn’t lost however.
What a great training top that is, by the way...
With our focus here on Portugal against South Korea, it is a good moment to remind you of the permutations in Group H ahead of today’s games.
Portugal booked their last-16 place with a game to spare following that 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday and just a point against South Korea will guarantee them top spot.
Ghana are second with three points to their credit after that dramatic 3-2 win over South Korea earlier in the week.
If Ghana beat Uruguay, they are definitely though. A draw would also be enough for the Black Stars if South Korea do not beat Portugal by two goals or more.
If Portugal are beaten and Ghana win, top spot will be determined by goal difference and goals scored, though Portugal have a decent advantage (+3 to 0).
South Korea know they need to beat Portugal to stand any chance of making it through.
If Ghana and Uruguay draw, South Korea will need to beat Portugal by two clear goals. If Uruguay win and South Korea also win, it’ll come down to goal difference, goals scored etc.
Uruguay can also make it still but they need to defeat Ghana and hope South Korea fail to beat Portugal.
And if all that sounds complicated, then the evidence of this week is that anything can happen and it’s best to keep you updated as we go along!
The only previous meeting between South Korea and Portugal was at the 2002 World Cup. The co-hosts won 1-0 through a goal by Park Ji-sung after a Portugal team including South Korea head coach Paulo Bento had Joao Pinto and Beto sent off.
South Korea have been eliminated in the group stage in eight of their 10 previous World Cup appearances.
Portugal have found the net in eight successive World Cup games, their longest scoring run in the competition.
They have won their opening two matches for the third time - on the previous two occasions, in 1966 and 2006, they won their final group fixture and went on to reach the semi-finals.
Ronaldo will be delighted to be starting here because he is pursuing another entry in the record books for his country.
If he scores today, he’ll equal Eusebio’s record of scoring nine times in World Cup finals.
Of course, Ronaldo thought he’d equalled the record against Uruguay, only for his supposed glanced header to be credited to Bruno Fernandes.
South Korea's handsome striker Cho Gue-sung has been forced to switch his phone off after attracting over a million new adoring fans at the World Cup.
The 24-year-old, who scored twice in his country's 3-2 defeat by Ghana earlier this week, is now scoring off the pitch after seeing his follower count on Instagram skyrocket - rising from 20,000 at the outset of the tournament to 1.6m at the time of writing.
And his soaring rise in popularity appears to be down to a video doing the rounds on social media of the photogenic footballer just sitting pretty on the bench.
CLICK BELOW FOR MORE
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in the starting lineup for Portugal's final Group H encounter against South Korea after missing training in the build-up to the clash.
Portugal have made a perfect start to their World Cup campaign, with victories over Ghana and Uruguay sealing qualification for the knockouts with a game to spare.
Fernando Santos' side need just one point to guarantee top-spot in the group, while Ghana, South Korea and Uruguay remain in a fierce battle for the remaining place in the knockout stages.
Seung-Gyu Kim, Moon-Hwan Kim, Kyung-Won Kwon, Young-Gwon Kim, Jin-Su Kim, Jung, In-Beom Hwang, Kang-In Lee, Jae-Sung Lee, Heung-Min Son, Gue-Sung Cho
Substitutes: Yoon, Min-Jae Kim, Paik, Hee-Chan Hwang, Bum-Keun Song, Jun-Ho Son, Hong, Eui-Jo Hwang, Na, Jo, Chang-Hoon Kwon, Tae-Hwan Kim, Yu-Min Cho, Jeong, Min-Kyu Song.
Diogo Costa; Dalot, António Silva, Pepe, Cancelo; Neves, Vitinha, Nunes, João Mário; Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Horta.
Substitutes: Rui Patricio, Dias, Guerreiro, Joao Palhinha, Bruno Fernandes, Andre Silva, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Jose Sa, William Carvalho, Leao, Goncalo Ramos.
So a number of changes made by Fernando Santos with passage to the last-16 already secured but the big news is that Cristiano Ronaldo starts having been a fitness doubt.
In come Diogo Dalot, Antonio Silva, Mateus Nunes, Vitinha, Joao Mario and Ricardo Horta from the team that beat Uruguay, with Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho, Nuno Mendes and Ruben Dias all dropping out the side.
It shouldn’t be too much longer until the teamsheets drop and we’ll see if Cristiano Ronaldo is involved for Portugal.
KIERAN GILL: The downsides are obvious. We've read enough reports about Saudi Arabia wrapping their tentacles around Newcastle United to know that it would risk damaging the reputation of Instagram's most followed man.
But for Cristiano Ronaldo, the upsides of a move to the Middle East may outweigh the rest. It is why the superstar without a club is said to be looking at the offer from Saudi side Al Nassr and thinking: 'Why not?'
Why not take a prolific payday at 37 years old? We could say he doesn't need the Saudi suitcases full of cash, but then David Beckham didn't need to take the Qatari money to be the face of the 2022 World Cup, either.
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MATT BARLOW: Portugal boss Fernando Santos heaved a heavy sigh fielding a question about Cristiano Ronaldo not playing in a friendly for Juventus in Seoul.
Around 65,000 bought tickets to see Juve play the K-League All-Star team in 2019, but Maurizio Sarri left Ronaldo on the bench, citing muscle fatigue.
Fans took legal action, claiming they were promised at least 45 minutes of Ronaldo, and the Italian club lost a large slice of its match fee.
South Korea has not forgotten, clearly. Santos appeared bewildered by it all.
Ahead of the World Cup, I wrote about why today’s Uruguay vs Ghana game has a decent claim to be biggest grudge match of this - or any other - tournament.
Luis Suarez was only yesterday denying he is the ‘devil incarnate’ and telling Ghanaian journalists at his press conference that it was their team’s fault they didn’t capitalise on his red card for deliberate handball back in 2010.
CLICK BELOW to read more on one of the World Cup’s fiercest - but most unlikely - rivalries.
Considering all the drama surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and his Manchester United exit, it hasn’t been a bad World Cup campaign so far for Fernando Santos and his team.
Two wins from two ensured they progressed from their group with the minimum of fuss, while also giving the impression there might be more to come.
The campaign started with a pretty dramatic 3-2 win over Ghana, a game that was the very definition of a slow burner as it exploded into life in the second-half.
Ronaldo got his goal from the penalty spot, having tumbled in the area, only for Andre Ayew to level just a few minutes later.
Joao Felix and Rafael Leao would then put Portugal 3-1 ahead in quick succession to alleviate any panic though Osman Bukari did net late on - and mimic Ronaldo’s ‘Siu’ celebration, much to the main man’s disgust - to ensure a tense finish.
It was all a bit smoother against Uruguay, a 2-0 win sealed thanks to what turned out to be two Bruno Fernandes goals.
Of course, Ronaldo was keen to claim the first one, insisting he glanced in his former United team-mate’s cross with the tip of his hair - only for the micro-chipped Adidas balls to decide otherwise.
Anyway, they’re in an enviable position entering today’s game and know a draw will also seal top spot.
One of the interesting sub-plots to today’s game is that the South Korean coach, Paulo Bento, hails from Portugal.
He said he will proudly sing both national anthems prior to kick-off and try to recreate the memorable encounter back in 2002, when South Korea beat Portugal 1-0.
The former Benfica and Sporting midfielder will serve a touchline ban against his homeland after being shown a red card by Anthony Taylor after confronting the Premier League official following the 3-2 defeat to Ghana.
And while Bento admits he remains a proud Portuguese, he is focused on securing the win which will give South Korea a chance of progression to the last 16.
"I do have feelings, of course, in relation to the Korean national anthem but I think I will sing the Portuguese national anthem as well," said Bento, whose last international as a player was in the 1-0 defeat to hosts Korea 20 years ago which ended Portugal's tournament in the group stage.
"I was born Portuguese, I will die Portuguese and I am very proud of my nationality - but also I am very proud of coaching these players for more than four years now."
Did the ball cross the line or not? That was the big talking point as Japan beat Spain last night to seal their last-16 spot and send Germany tumbling out.
VAR decided not all of the ball had crossed all of the line, but Sportsmail’s Mike Keegan disagrees on our latest edition of the daily videocast from Qatar.
Also in World Cup confidential today, Ian Ladyman and Dominic King discuss whether Romelu Lukaku is responsible for Belgium’s early exit, Mike Keegan on why expansion to 48 teams will ruin group stage drama and Martin Samuel on England practising penalties.
You can watch the video here.
Today's match will be played at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, which is located 7km north-west of Doha.
The stadium has a capacity of 44,667 and was built for the World Cup, opening in June 2020 as the third venue to be completed.
This will be the sixth group stage fixture to be staged there and South Korea know it very well, given their previous games against Uruguay and Ghana were also played there.
Going forward, the Education City Stadium will host one last-16 game and one quarter-final.
Germany are flying home from Qatar today - something few would have predicted at the start of the tournament.
Just like in Russia four years ago, they have been eliminated at the end of the group stage and sent home in shame and embarrassment.
Despite beating Costa Rica 4-2 last night, Japan’s stunning win over Spain sent Hansi Flick’s side tumbling out.
Newspaper Bild described a ‘dead silence’ afterwards in the German dressing room with players and staff having no idea what to say to one another.
To make matters worse for the players, the kit manager had bagged all their belongings up because there is no last-16 game to prepare for.
They then returned to their base in the early hours of the morning, where wives and girlfriends had waited up to commiserate.
You can read more about Germany’s all-round miserable evening by clicking the link below.
Today marks the end of the group stages and the frenetic four-games-per-day diet of football we’ve been gorging on for almost a fortnight.
But that doesn’t mean any let-up in the action. In past tournament, you have a little pause for breath between the group stages and the knockouts but that won’t be the case this time.
The last-16 games get underway tomorrow with Netherlands vs United States first up and that’s followed by Argentina vs Australia.
On Sunday, we have another two last-16 ties with France playing Poland and then England’s clash with Senegal.
We’ll then have two more on Monday and another two on Tuesday. Then you can have a rest, ok?
His week started with a controversy over whether his hair touched Bruno Fernandes’ cross for a goal against Uruguay and Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't been out of the headlines since.
The Portuguese star has reportedly agreed a £173million-a-year contract with Saudi Arabian team Al Nassr having left Manchester United.
And now Ronaldo may be absent from the Portugal team to face South Korea today.
He underwent a late fitness test with head coach Fernando Santos admitting he has made contingencies if Ronaldo doesn’t make it.
‘Let’s see (if he is fit). In principle, Ronaldo will train soon,’ Santos said. ‘I don’t even know if it’s 50/50. Cristiano was replaced in both games. There’s a plan in case he can’t play.’
We’ll just have to wait until the teamsheets drop in a couple of hours’ time.
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With our focus here on Portugal against South Korea, it is a good moment to remind you of the permutations in Group H ahead of today’s games.
Portugal booked their last-16 place with a game to spare following that 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday and just a point against South Korea will guarantee them top spot.
Ghana are second with three points to their credit after that dramatic 3-2 win over South Korea earlier in the week.
If Ghana beat Uruguay, they are definitely though. A draw would also be enough for the Black Stars if South Korea do not beat Portugal by two goals or more.
If Portugal are beaten and Ghana win, top spot will be determined by goal difference and goals scored, though Portugal have a decent advantage (+3 to 0).
South Korea know they need to beat Portugal to stand any chance of making it through.
If Ghana and Uruguay draw, South Korea will need to beat Portugal by two clear goals. If Uruguay win and South Korea also win, it’ll come down to goal difference, goals scored etc.
Uruguay can also make it still but they need to defeat Ghana and hope South Korea fail to beat Portugal.
And if all that sounds complicated, then the evidence of this week is that anything can happen and it’s best to keep you updated as we go along!
We’ve made it to the final day of group stage action out in Qatar as Groups G and H reach their conclusion in the next few hours.
First up, it’s the turn of Group H. Portugal are already through ahead of their game with South Korea, but for their opponents, Ghana and Uruguay it’s all up for grabs.
Of course, those who remember the 2010 World Cup and Luis Suarez’s hugely controversial handball will understand why today’s meeting between Uruguay and Ghana is a grudge match.
And it was always going to happen that a last-16 place rests on it for both teams.
A little later on, it’s the final games in Group G, where Brazil already know they’re qualified ahead of their meeting with Cameroon.
Switzerland sit second at the present and may only need a point against Serbia to advance with the two games happening simultaneously.
So plenty still to be decided.
Hello and welcome to the final day of the World Cup group stages.
We know the identity of 14 of the 16 teams going through to the knockout rounds and in another few hours’ time, we have completed that set.
Our first focus is on Group H today. Portugal are home and dry, booking their place with that 2-0 win over Uruguay on Monday - a game in which Cristiano Ronaldo may - or may not - have scored with his hair gel.
It leaves them sitting pretty on six points entering their final game against South Korea - but for their opponents today, there is much work to do.
South Korea, whose hopes were dealt a big blow when they lost 3-2 to Ghana last time, must win against Portugal.
If Ghana and Uruguay draw in the other game, then South Korea will need to beat Portugal by two clear goals to swing the goal difference and advance.
If Uruguay and South Korea both win, it will come down to goal difference - and maybe goals scored.
Don’t worry though, I’ll be guiding you through every twist and turn of what promises to be another exciting finale.
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