November 26, 2022
After passing the first test in this much-anticipated World Cup, Portugal are now focused on their next opponent: Uruguay. Ronaldo is highly motivated to lead his nation to a second win in the tournament and secure the first place in Group H.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be a man on a mission on Monday as Portugal bid to book their place in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar. Ronaldo wrote his name into the record books in Portugal's opening game against Ghana, netting a penalty to become the first male player to score at five separate World Cups. Portugal's head coach Fernando Santos, described Ronaldo as "phenomenon" after the game and it is impossible to argue with his viewpoint. The 37-year-old is currently without a club after his spectacular fall-out with Manchester United and will be keen to demonstrate his talent on the global stage over the next few weeks. The latest sportsbook online odds rate Portugal as favourites to beat Uruguay at the Lusail Stadium on Monday to secure top spot in Group H.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Ready to take over!:
With Brazil looking likely to win Group G, Portugal will be eager to win their section to ensure they avoid the Samba Kings in the round of 16. They would face Switzerland, Cameroon or Serbia in the knockout stage if they win Group H and would undoubtedly fancy their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals. However, it would be foolish to write off Uruguay, who knocked Portugal out of the World Cup in the round of 16 four years ago.
Uruguay qualified for the finals fairly easily behind Brazil and Argentina and have the talent to cause Portugal plenty of problems. They got their World Cup campaign with a goalless draw against South Korea, although they spurned several good chances to win the game. Despite the result, Ronaldo and co would do well not to underestimate the threat posed by the South American side on Monday.
While they emerged victorious against Ghana in their first group game, their overall performance was fairly unconvincing. They were marginally the better team in the first half, but were unable to breach Ghana's dogged backline before the break.
Portugal eventually took the lead in the 65th minute, with Ronaldo dusting himself down after being felled in the box to fire home the penalty. Ghana soon levelled the game, but goals by João Felix and Rafael Leão appeared to put the game beyond their reach. However, Ghana pulled one back to set up a tense finale, but Portugal saw out the reminder of the game to claim the three points.
They can ill-afford any defensive lapses against a Uruguay team that can be difficult to break down when they put their minds to it. Strikers Darwin Nunez and Luis Suarez were ineffectual against South Korea, but veteran Edinson Cavani looked lively when he entered the fray. A draw would not be the worst result for Portugal in their quest to reach the last 16, but they will be keen to get the job done by securing another victory.
Ronaldo will once again be central to their hopes of success and it will be intriguing to see whether he can impressive international scoring record on Monday.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Portugal in the World Cup is on November 28, against Uruguay. You can watch Portugal vs Uruguay, Japan vs Costa Rica, Spain vs Germany, Croatia vs Canada, Belgium vs Morocco, and Cameroon vs Serbia, all matches provided from our live soccer game pages.
Portugal next game:
Portugal vs Uruguay kick-off time (28-11-2022):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 19:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-5: 14:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-8: 11:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / fifa.com / cnn.com
