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03:05 PM
5 minutes
Nice idea from South Korea forward Cho who tried to flick the ball on for the run of right-back Kim Moon-hwan, but there was too much on it.
03:04 PM
4 minutes
Portugal’s turn to stroke the ball around at the back, Vitinha gets a few early touches on his first start of the tournament. Loud boos from the South Korea fans when Ronaldo gets his first touch near the right wing, which you have to find quite amusing.
03:02 PM
2 minutes
South Korea settling into a period of possession straight from kick off, Portugal are not a team with the legs to press too aggressively. But they are compact behind the ball and difficult to create chances against.
South Korea do progress to the edge of the Portugal box with a positive move but Cancelo is pulled up for a foul.
03:00 PM
KICK OFF!
South Korea get us under way.
02:55 PM
The players are out for the anthems
South Korea need to produce the performance of their lives in the next 90 minutes.
02:38 PM
South Korea need a magic moment from Son
02:37 PM
Have a go at our match predictor
Has Santos made too many changes or do Portugal have enough to get the job done/
02:36 PM
Why Portugal will want to top the group…
If they finish second, the odds are they will play Brazil in the last-16. Top the group and it will be Switzerland or Serbia.
02:23 PM
How we stand in Group H
Portugal will top the group should they get a draw or a win against South Korea.
Ghana, in second on three points, will guarantee progress with a win against Uruguay, though a point will be enough if South Korea fail to beat Portugal.
It might also be enough if South Korea beat Portugal but only by a goal, as both teams would be level on goal difference, but Ghana potentially ahead on goals scored.
This is all obviously dependent on how many goals each team scores in those final games. If Ghana lose, they are out.
South Korea and Uruguay, on one point each, both need to win to have any chance of progression, with the other result going their way.
02:18 PM
Six changes to Portugal’s team
Ronaldo leads Portugal’s attack despite having to train separately from the rest of the team this week but Fernando Santos has made six changes.
Portugal have brought Diogo Dalot and Antonio Silva into the defence.Matheus Nunes, Vitinha and Joao Mario come into the midfield in place of Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho and Bruno Fernandes while Ricardo Horta replaces Joao Felix up front.
South Korea’s Portuguese coach Paulo Bento has left left out central defender Kim Min-jae, who was an injury doubt, and has replaced him with Kwon Kyung-won, while Lee Jae-sung and Lee Kang-in are drafted into midfield.
South Korea must beat Portugal and hope the result of Ghana’s match with Uruguay goes their way in order to reach the last 16.
02:16 PM
The two teams: Ronaldo starts
South Korea: Kim Seung-gyu, Kim Moon-hwan, Kwon Kyung-won, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Jin-su, Lee Jae-sung, Lee Kang-in, Jeong Woo-yeong, Hwang In-beom, Son Heung-min, Cho Gue-sung.
Portugal: Diogo Costa, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Antonio Silva, Joao Cancelo, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves, Vitinha, Joao Mario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Horta.
02:13 PM
South Korea have no choice but to attack
Portugal were not handed an easy draw at this World Cup group game, but victories over Ghana and Uruguay have assured them of reaching the knockout stages. Now they need just a point against South Korea to top the group.
Portugal have played in fits and starts, but some telling contributions from Rafael Leão, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes have proven decisive in the attacking third. Fernando Santos has so much quality at his disposal, it is just a question of finding the right balance between defence and attack. With Mendes, Otavio and Danilo injured, Santos said he expects to rotate part of his squad with a view to keeping some players fresh for their game in the last 16. He was unsure whether Ronaldo would be rested.
South Korea were completely demoralised after their defeat to Ghana. They managed to come back from two goals down only to see Mohammed Kudus’ goal win the day. There were some promising signs going forward, but their defending of crosses, when their backline was guilty of sagging too deep. South Korea must win this afternoon to stand any chance of progressing, and they are managed by former Portugal international Paulo Bento.
Bento, a former Portugal international, said that his home country has “one of the greatest generations of Portuguese football”.
That was echoed by defender Kim Young-gwon who told a news conference: “He (Ronaldo) is a world class player, this is a well known fact and they have all these talented players. To contain them we’ll have to play as a team, as one unit.
“We played our first two games with passion and we’re going to have to show that passion again tomorrow. But we’ll also need a bit of luck. If we have all that, we can create a miracle.”
Full team news on the way shortly.
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