World Cup Friday Recap: South Korea stuns Portugal to punch knockout stage ticket, while Brazil loses to Cameroon in stoppage time

Editorial Use Only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock (13640449cp) Hwang Hee-Chan of South Korea celebrates his goal 2-1. Korea Republic v Portugal, FIFA World Cup 2022, Group H, Football, Education City Stadium, Doha, Qatar – 02 Dec 2022

World Cup Friday Recap: South Korea stuns Portugal to punch knockout stage ticket, while Brazil loses to Cameroon in stoppage time

2022 World Cup Groups:

  • Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
  • Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
  • Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
  • Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
  • Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
  • Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
  • Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
  • Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

Recapping the Friday action:

CAMEROON 1, BRAZIL 0

  • What: World Cup, Group Stage (G): Matchday 3 of 3
  • When: Friday, Dec. 2, 2022 @ 1 p.m. CT
  • Where: Lusail Iconic Stadium (Lusail, Qatar)
  • FIFA World Ranking: Brazil (No. 1) vs. Cameroon (No. 43)

Cameroon registered the final upset of a thrilling group stage round in Qatar by defeating powerhouse Brazil 1-0 on Friday at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar. A Vincent Aboubakar header in the second minute of stoppage time broke a goalless draw and gave the Indomitable Lions their first victory of the 2022 World Cup. Brazil, which had already clinched a spot in the knockout stage round prior to Matchday 3, seemed content with playing to a 0-0 draw without Neymar in the lineup and other reserves taking the pitch to start the game. The loss didn’t hurt anything other than Brazilian pride in the end, as the “Little Canaries” still won Group G by way of a one-goal advantage over Switzerland in the goal differential department. Had Switzerland won by two goals against Serbia, then Brazil would’ve finished in second place and been forced to play No. 9-ranked Portugal in the Round of 16. The Brazilian side dominated time of possession throughout the match (65% to 35%), tripled up Cameroon on total shots (21 to seven), more than tripled the amount of corner kick opportunities (11 to three), and more than doubled up its African opponents in shots on goal (seven to three). The box score domination didn’t reflect in the final score though, as Brazil opted not to play any of Casemiro, Vinícius Júnior, Richarlison or Thiago Silva against the Cameroonians. Brazil will now face Group H runner-up South Korea, as the Asian Tigers are fresh off a shocking 2-1 victory over Portugal. Brazil is 6-0-1 all-time against South Korea, with the nations’ last match resulting in a 5-1 rout by the Brazilians during an international friendly in June, and another 3-0 win in November of 2019. South Korea’s only win against Brazil came in a 1-0 victory all the way back in March of 1999.


SWITZERLAND 3, SERBIA 2

  • What: World Cup, Group Stage (G): Matchday 3 of 3
  • When: Friday, Dec. 2, 2022 @ 1 p.m. CT
  • Where: Stadium 974 (Doha, Qatar)
  • FIFA World Ranking: Switzerland (No. 15) vs. Serbia (No. 21)

Switzerland outlasted Serbia 3-2 in Friday’s Matchday 3 finale at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, earning its third straight trip to the Round of 16 in the process. The Swiss opened the offensive fireworks display in the 20th minute with a goal by Xherdan Shaqiri, but didn’t hold onto their early lead for long as Serbia then countered with back-to-back scores in 26th and 35th minutes, respectively, by Aleksander Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic. Breel Embolo scored the equalizer for “The Nats” of Switzerland right before the halftime break to draw even at 2-2, and a Remo Freuler volley found the back of the net early in the second half to give the Swiss a 3-2 lead that they would never relinquish. Switzerland nearly won Group G play with its victory over Serbia due to Brazil’s 1-0 loss to Cameroon. Brazil finished just one goal ahead of Switzerland in the goal differential department, however, to send the Swiss into a tough Round of 16 matchup with No. 9-ranked Portugal at 1 p.m. CT at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar. Switzerland, as close it was to winning Group G, was just as close to being potentially eliminated from the knockout round. If Serbia would’ve scored a third late goal and drew with Switzerland, then the Swiss fate would’ve come down to a fair play system tiebreaker as both they and Cameroon would have been tied in total points, goal differential and total goals scored. A 2-0 Cameroon win, plus a draw between the Swiss and Serbia, would have led to elimination for Switzerland as well. Portugal and Switzerland are no strangers to international competition, as they have played against the other plenty in the UEFA Nations League. The teams split their last two meetings, both of which came within a one week span in June. Portugal won the first contest 4-0 in dominating fashion while Switzerland eked out a 1-0 shutout win in the second game.


SOUTH KOREA 2, PORTUGAL 1

  • What: World Cup, Group Stage (H): Matchday 3 of 3
  • When: Friday, Dec. 2, 2022 @ 10 a.m. CT
  • Where:  Education City Stadium (Doha, Qatar)
  • FIFA World Ranking: Portugal (No. 9) vs. South Korea (No. 28)

South Korea scored in the 91st minute to defeat Portugal 2-1 and seal its place in the Round of 16 for just the third time in its nation’s history. South Korean reserve Hwang Hee-Chan registered the game-winning goal for the Asian Tigers, who needed both the win and Hee-Chan’s third goal in order to best Uruguay on the total goals scored tiebreaker in the Group H final standings. The South Koreans played a feisty and fiery brand of football at Education City Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Friday. Despite only possessing the ball for 38% of the match, South Korea was able to tie Portugal in both total shots (13) and shots on goal (six). South Korea also finished the game with one more corner kick (five) than Portugal. Portugal still finishes atop the Group H standings despite the loss, although it certainly played to win and looked on its way to a 3-0 sweep of group play after a Ricardo Horta goal in the fifth minute gave it a 1-0 lead. Kim Young-Gwon netted the equalizer in the 27th minute for South Korea, and neither side scored again until more than 65 minutes later. South Korea’s two previous trips to the knockout stage resulted in a Round of 16 loss to Uruguay in 2010, and a historic fourth-place finish in 2002 when it hosted the event alongside Japan. The Asian Tigers’ infamous 2002 run saw them defeat powerhouses Italy and Spain in the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals, respectively, before dropping a 1-0 decision to Germany in the Semifinals. Portugal, on the other hand, will enter the knockout stage for the fourth time in its past five World Cup trips, although three of those four appearances resulted in Round of 16 losses. Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese’s deepest tournament run came all the way back in 2006, when they reached the Semifinals before losing 1-0 to France. Ronaldo, who has already admitted that this will be his final campaign on the big stage, will compete in his 21st World Cup match when Portugal plays the Round of 16. The now 37-year-old global icon of Manchester United has amassed eight goals and two assists over five total World Cup appearances.


URUGUAY 2, GHANA 0

  • What: World Cup, Group Stage (H): Matchday 3 of 3
  • When: Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022 @ 10 a.m. CT
  • Where:  Al Janoub Stadium (Al Wakrah, Qatar)
  • FIFA World Ranking: Uruguay (No. 14) vs. Ghana (No. 61)

Uruguay defeated Ghana 2-0 in Group H’s other Matchday 3 contest, though it was all for naught in the end as the Charrúas were eliminated from knockout stage contention in heartbreaking fashion. It was South Korea’s last-gasp strike for a score in the 91st minute which propelled the Asian Tigers over Uruguay in the Group H via total goals scored as a tiebreaker. A 1-0 win by South Korea, or a 2-2 draw, would have allowed Uruguay to advance instead, but Hwang Hee-Chan had something else to say about that when he scored in the first minute of stoppage time to give the South Koreans an improbable upset victory. Uruguay played like the superior squad on Matchday 3 that many had envisioned prior to arriving in Qatar, but it was too little too late in what is likely to be the end of legendary international careers for both Luis Suárez and Edison Cavani. With the loss, Uruguay also snapped an impressive streak of three straight Round of 16 appearances at the World Cup. The Uruguayans made it to the Quarterfinals in 2018 in Russia and finished fourth overall at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but the South American nation simply could not overcome its disappointing performances both on Matchday 1 and Matchday 2 when it tied South Korea 0-0 and lost to Argentina 2-0. Uruguay bested Ghana on total shots (12 to 10) and shots on goal (seven to four), but the two sides drew even on time of possession as Ghana continued to play much better than the No. 61 world rankings FIFA bestowed upon the Black Stars back in September. Ghana could’ve qualified for the knockout stage with a win or a draw, although a draw would have needed to be coupled with a better goal differential than South Korea in the end. Uruguay had entered Friday’s Matchday 3 finale as the only team out of 32 nations which had not yet scored at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after Tunisia and Mexico both shook off their scoreless streaks in their respective Matchday 3 contests. It was Giorgian de Arrascaeta who erased fears of a scoreless World Cup early, however, when he found the back of the net on a header in the 26th minute to lift Uruguay’s offensive spirits. The 28-year-old midfielder then made it two goals in a six-minute span when he scored on a volley in the 32nd minute to give the Uruguayans a commanding 2-0 lead. Ghana’s best chance to score would have given the African nation a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute, but André Ayew failed to convert a penalty kick.


Rd of 16: Saturday, Dec. 3

  • Who: Netherlands (No. 8) vs. USA (No. 16)
  • When, where: 9 a.m. CT, Khalifa International Stadium (Al Rayyan, Qatar)
  • Who: Argentina (No. 3) vs. Australia (No. 38)
  • When, where: 1 p.m. CT, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (Al Rayyan, Qatar)

Rd of 16: Sunday, Dec. 4

  • Who: France (No. 4) vs. Poland (No. 26)
  • When, where: 9 a.m. CT, Al Thumama Stadium (Doha, Qatar)
  • Who: England (No. 5) vs. Senegal (No. 18)
  • When, where: 1 p.m. CT, Al Bayt Stadium (Al Khor, Qatar)

Rd of 16: Monday, Dec. 5

  • Who: Japan (No. 24) vs. Croatia (No. 12)
  • When, where: 9 a.m. CT, Al Janoub Stadium (Al Wakrah, Qatar)
  • Who: Brazil (No. 1) vs. South Korea (No. 28)
  • When, where: 1 p.m. CT, Stadium 974 (Doha, Qatar)

Rd of 16: Tuesday, Dec. 6

  • Who: Morocco (No. 22) vs. Spain (No. 7)
  • When, where: 9 a.m. CT, Education City Stadium (Doha, Qatar)
  • Who: Portugal (No. 9) vs. Switzerland (No. 15)
  • When, where: 1 p.m. CT, Lusail Iconic Stadium (Lusail, Qatar)

Related Posts:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *