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3 hours ago
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Key events
23 min: The fouls are really clocking up for Uzbekistan, they need to get their discipline in check to get back into this match. The free kick taker this time is Fernandes, the shot isn’t too bad but Uzbekistan clear. Hydration break now!
22 min: The answer is not yet. Several Portugal players stand over the ball again but it is Fernandes who takes it short and passes to Mendes. The move doesn’t quite work but Portugal continue to press.
21 min: Ronaldo’s goal may silence some critics but not all, here is an email from Sean:
Ronaldo answers the question we were all asking - Can he do it against Uzbekistan in a climate controlled stadium?
Will the true test come against Colombia with this being Uzbekistan’s first World Cup? The first question to answer is is Portugal will score again with Mendes winning another free kick.
19 min: Yes the goalkeeper should have done better there but it is a clever tactical move from Portugal and Mendes defineitely deserved it. Uzbekistan try to hit back but the eventual shot is easily saved.
GOAL! Portugal 2-0 Uzbekistan (Mendes 17)
Ronaldo is standing over the free kick but it is a red herring with Mendes the actual taker, huge hit in the bottom left corner.
15 min: Hamrobekov is handed a yellow card for a foul on Neto, Portugal will have a free kick just outside the box.
14 min: Peter Oh has made me chuckle with this one:
6-7! (6th minute goal by number 7. I’m behind the times, I know.)
I am a cheap laugh though so you may all not have found that as funny as I did.
13 min: Ronaldo will have the headlines so far in this game but Portugal’s best player is Nuno Mendes. Some absolutely incredible crosses and has been a nightmare to defend.
12 min: Portugal have won a free kick and Fernandes takes it. The new goalkeeper Nematov punches it clear but Portugal are relentless so far.
10 min: From an Uzbekistan point of view, this is the worst start they could have had. They went big at the back but they have not got a foot into this at all so far.
9 min: Will that be enough to stop people saying Ronaldo should be on the bench? Milo Swift wants him coming on later:
First of all I should like to say that I am firmly a Ronaldo lover, always will be and would love to see him sign off having won the world cup.
But I do think aged 41 he should start on the bench and come on for the last 30/20 minutes. As one of the best headerers of the ball in the world I think he would be more affective against tired defenders.The problem is I don’t think Portugal really have another striker. You could say Gonçalo Ramos but looking at his stats 6 goals in 30 for PSG isn’t great. So I don’t really know what to think.
8 min: Ronaldo’s face was stone cold after scoring, he ran straight over to the bench (potentially trying to show the camaraderie in the squad) and then of course hits his big celebration. Commentary saying ‘never in doubt’, I disagree. It definitely was.
GOAL! Portugal 1-0 Uzbekistan (Ronaldo, 7')
There it is.
6 min: That was Ronaldo’s first chance to silence his doubters with a lovely cross in but his slide is poor and he cannot get to it. That was a peach of a cross though.
4 min: Here come Portugal with Cancelo making a great run, a few passes later they try to find Fernandes but the cross is blocked. The momentum continued with the Manchester United man on it once again but he slips, luckily for him he wins a corner. The set piece is taken short but Uzbekistan deal with it well.
2 min: Both teams settling into this one, though Portugal are brighter going forward so far.
Kick-off: Portugal 0-0 Uzbekistan
Here we go then. Can Ronaldo score and prove his doubters wrong? Who will come out with a win? Can Uzbekistan cause an upset? All to be answered over the next 90 minutes.
Ryan Casey has his say on Ronaldo:
It’s been said before but it is very unfortunate for Ronaldo how the most talented Portugal squads have come at the beginning and end of his career, their lineups from 09-17 when he was at his best were pretty weak compared to the first golden generation in 04 and the midfield juggernaut they have now.
That said, his attitude and decline on the pitch have made it difficult for this group to rally around him in the way Argentina have rallied around Messi. In 2022 you got the sense they viewed it as their predestined duty on this planet to get Messi the trophy, don’t get this feeling at all from this Portugal squad.
It also must be noted that Messi continues to score for his side with five goals so far at this World Cup.
The players are out on the pitch in Houston and the anthems will soon follow. This match is about to get going. There was a slight smirk from Ronaldo as he looked into the camera as he led his team out.
Is the Ronaldo criticism coming too early? It is for Daniel Storey:
Am I the only one to think that the Ronaldo is useless consensus has got out of hand? Were Portugal useless in their first match? Yes. But there’s a distance to go in this tournament. Let’s see where it stands at the end of the tournament. This comment could age badly, I’m sure.
This may be Uzbekistan’s first World Cup but they are by no means just happy to be participating. They lost 3-1 to Colombia but they were resolute in defence and took time to break down so Portugal will have to be in good form to overcome their opponents. Here is more on them before kick-off:
John Pearson has got involved in the Ronaldo debate and said:
My opinions on Ronaldo don’t really matter and shouldn’t have ever mattered to fans of teams he has played for, such as Man United or Portugal. But, who’s opinions do matter? His teammates. And with the squad Portugal have, surely they are close to the end of their patience. Some would say that they’ve entered this competition with the strongest midfield in the tournament, and with an assist monster like Bruno Fernandez playing, I struggle to imagine that these elite football players are happy to have a 40 year old with 0 goals in his last 10 competitive games for the country given that they are seriously looking at their best chance of World Cup glory maybe ever.
Ronaldo would like that you have made him younger with the star actually 41. But today’s game really will be a test to see if the team are behind Ronaldo I think, especially with all of the outside noise this week.
There are many players who could have standout performances today but here is one player from each side to keep an eye on. For Portugal, it’s Bruno Fernandes. He had a great season with Manchester United and is a consistent player.
For Uzbeksitan they have a promising star in Abbosbek Fayzullaev, who scored against Colombia in the team’s 3-1 loss.
One Ronaldo opinion is already in from Justin Kavanagh:
Between Ronaldo’s endless narcissism and Bruno Fernandes’ endless narkyism, Portugal have become a hard team to like. Not to mention their coach’s lack of backbone for making a decision to drop a 41-year-old which shouldn’t be all that hard. It’s a shame, because they’re a country with a fine footballing tradition who have graced many international competitions. Still, it could be (and probably will be) worse. They’ll probably be managed by Mourinho at the next World Cup.
Safe to say Justin isn’t a fan then.
Some don’t want Cristiano Ronaldo to start or if he does, to not play the full 90. Some of his diehard fans want him to be on the pitch for every second. What are your thoughts? Email and let me know.
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a fair bit of criticism aimed at him this week after a disappointing performance for Portugal against the DR Congo. But the team’s manager, Roberto Martínez, has defended his player. In the build-up to this game against Uzbekistan, while not specifically referring to Ronaldo, the boss said some of the negative comments have been “unfair” and “unjust”. He added:
We are playing a World Cup so of course we have a lot of noise and tension, but it’s part of the game. The focus is on the team and we want to show a positive attitude … to be ready for the match. We are very much focused. We are strong. The team is even more united than before.
The Ronaldo debate has been raging on this week with the captain not scoring for his country in open play in their last 10 matches at a major tourament and here Miguel Dantas eloquently puts the situation into one piece:
It is not surprising that Uzebekistan have gone with a defensive line-up, they also have attacking quality but they will be aiming to keep Portugal out for as long as they can. It is also not a shock at all that Cristiano Ronaldo is in the starting line-up but he has faced a lot of criticism this week, let’s take a look at that now.
Uzbekistan line-up
Uzbekistan have made three changes to the starting side that lost 3-1 to Colombia. The biggest change is at goalkeeper with Abduvohid Nematov between the sticks with Utkir Yusupov on the bench. Aziz Ganiev and Odiljon Hamrobekov also come in.
Uzbekistan (5-4-1): Nematov; Khusanov, Ashurmatov, Nasrullaev, Abdullaev, Karimov; Shukurov, Hamrobekov, Ganiev, Fayzullaev; Shomurodov. Subs: Yusupov, Ergashev, Alijonov, Sayfiev, Eshmurodov, Ulmasaliyev, Urozov, Mozgovoy, Iskanderov, Jiyanov, Urunov, Khamdamov, Esanov, Amanov, Sergeev.
Portugal line-up
Portugal have made two changes to their starting XI that drew with DR Congo. Bernardo Silva and Tomas Araújo drop to the bench with Ruben Dias and João Félix coming into the team. The captain Cristiano Ronaldo starts once again.
Portugal (4-3-3): Diogo Costa; Dias, Veiga, Cancelo, Mendes; Fernandes, Neves, Vitinha; Ronaldo, João Félix, Neto. Subs: Sá, Rui Silva, Semedo, Araújo, Dalot, Inácio, Samú Costa, Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Neves, Ramos, Trincão, Leão, Guedes, Conceição
Here is a reminder of what happened in both nations’ World Cup openers:
Portugal v Uzbeksitan is not the only game happening today, here is the full fixture list:
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Portugal v Uzbekistan
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England v Ghana
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Panama v Croatia
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Colombia v DR Congo
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the World Cup Group K match between Portugal and Uzbekistan. The outcome of this game could see Portugal temporarily top the group with Colombia currently leading the way after their opening win against Uzbekistan.
Portugal sit third currently after their 1-1 draw against DR Congo and there has been a lot of discussion around Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance in that fixture, we will have more on that shortly.
For Uzbekistan, they are searching for their first point of the tournament to give them a much needed boost of getting to the knockout stages. Portugal will be favourites to come away with all three points as the Asian nation are in a men’s World Cup for the first time.
The team news will be announced shortly before kick-off at 6pm BST/1pm CDT/10pm UST. Will be bring you all of those updates, as well as what has been said in the build-up. Also do not hesitate to drop me an email.
