By beating Uruguay 2-0 in the Group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Tuesday, Portugal became the third team to serve their place in the Round of 16 following France and Brazil. France and Brazil earlier secured their place in the Knockout stage after defeating Denmark and Switzerland respectively.
It is interesting to note that, after two rounds of group-stage matches, only 3 teams have secured their spot in the knockout stage. The remaining 13 spots will be decided after the final round of group matches of the remaining 27 teams.
Portugal vs Uruguay
Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes’ doubles helped Portugal beat Uruguay 2-0 in Tuesday’s second Group H match of the FIFA World Cup 2022. After a goalless first half, Fernandes put his team in front with a goal in the 54th minute, which was initially claimed by Cristiano Ronaldo. But it was just a misconception when Ronaldo jumped near the six-yard box to connect Fernandes’ cross. But the ball directly went into the net without any further touches.
Then in stoppage time, Fernando earned himself a penalty and sealed the game with his second goal. With the win, Portugal now has six points in the Group stage to assure a spot in the next round in Qatar. Portugal will now face South Korea on Friday before the next stage.
Uruguay needs another win to secure their spot in the knockout stage. Uruguay is in the second spot in Group H with three points and they now need a win against Ghana on Friday.
Brazil vs Switzerland
Brazil became the second team to seal their place in the knockout stage with a 1-0 win against Switzerland in the Group G stage of the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Monday. Brazil outclassed Switzerland with Casemiro’s late goal in Stadium 974 in Doha.
The Neymar-less side played a goalless first half but later turned the side into an amazing win. Vinicius put Brazil ahead in the 64th minute but the goal was ruled offside. Later, Casemiro found the net in the 83rd minute, paving way for Brazil to the next stage without a loss. Switzerland just wanted to hold off Brazil’s attackers from scoring and they never really threatened Brazil to score.
Switzerland is second in the team with three points and a win. They will next face Serbia on Saturday to make their way to the knockout stage.
France vs Denmark
The defending champions France defeated Denmark 2-1 in the Group D clash of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday at Stadium 974 in Doha to secure their spot in the round of 16. With 2 consecutive wins, France was the first team to make it to the knockout stage despite losing a number of players including Karim Benzema due to injury.
Denmark put up a strong fight against France, but Kylian Mbappe rose again to rescue the side when it mattered the most.
When the Danish defence was strong, Mbappe stars the match by scoring twice in the second half. Mbappe scored his first goal almost exactly at the hour mark but just minutes later, Denmark’s Andreas Christensen found the equalizer, heading in a corner at the near post. Mbappe then scored his second goal late in the second half.
With the 86th-minute goal, Mbappe restored France’s lead. Meanwhile, Denmark needs nothing less than a win in their next match against Australia to avoid being knocked out.
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