Ronaldo Gets Rematch With Uruguay

By JENNA FRYER, AP National Author

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Ronaldo gets his rematch 4 years after Uruguay knocked his Portugal team out of the World Cup.

The match Monday gives Cristiano Ronaldo a likelihood to avenge Portugal’s loss within the round of 16 to Uruguay in 2018, even when it doesn’t carry the identical stakes. Uruguay’s 2-1 win in Russia knocked Portugal out of the World Cup, and probably the most Monday’s group stage match can do for Portugal is advance Ronaldo into the last 16 for the fourth time in his profession.

Ronaldo has been on the focal point in Qatar, where he arrived for what is predicted to be his final World Cup looking for personal and national history. He became the primary player to attain in five World Cups in Portugal’s 3-2 win over Ghana in his first match, and really much wants to steer his national team to its first title.

Portugal has never won the World Cup, and Ronaldo has never taken his team past the semifinals. In his 2006 debut, Portugal lost 3-1 to Germany within the third-place match. Portugal hasn’t been out of the round of 16 since.

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“That is only the start,” Ronaldo said in an Instagram post. “There aren’t any impossibilities.”

Ronaldo scored on a penalty kick in Portugal’s win over Ghana and Portugal has lost just one in every of its past 13 games within the group stage on the World Cup — a loss to Germany in 2014.

Portugal and Uruguay have played thrice prior, however the 2018 meeting was their only match lately. Portugal won 3-0 in 1966 and the teams played to a 1-1 draw — each friendlies.

Now it is a matchup of longtime rivals — Ronaldo from his days playing for Real Madrid against Luis Suárez from his time at Barcelona.

Uruguay played to a 0-0 draw against South Korea and might’t advance or be eliminated on Monday. But a loss would make Uruguay vulnerable headed into its final group stage match, and although not counted among the many favorites, Uruguay is attempting to advance to the semifinals for the primary time since 2010.

Uruguay won the World Cup in 1930 and 1950, but its recent history features a fourth-place finish in 2010, the round of 16 in 2014 and the quarterfinals 4 years ago in Russia by beating Portugal.

There isn’t any Neymar for Brazil in Monday’s game against Switzerland because the star player is nursing an ankle injury suffered within the 2-0 opening match win over Serbia.

Brazil teammate Marquinhos said Neymar is working “24 hours a day” to attempt to get back on the sector, but team doctors have given no timetable for his return.

“He’s sleeping in physiotherapy, 24 hours a day,” Marquinhos said. “That shows how much he desires to be back with us. We don’t know when it’s going to occur, but we hope we can have him with us again as soon as possible and in good health mentally and physically.”

The workload should fall to Richarlison, who scored each goals within the win against Serbia.

Richarlison has scored nine goals in his last seven appearances for Brazil, and against Serbia became the eighth Brazilian to attain a pair of goals in his World Cup debut, and the primary since Neymar in 2014.

Brazil actually has quite a deep roster because it seeks a sixth World Cup title and its first in 20 years, with Vinicius Junior, Raphinha and Rodrygo all able to play against Switzerland.

“Every one is super expert, even the middle backs and goalkeeper,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said of Brazil. “They’re here to get the title. That’s almost a must for them.”

Brazil has won eight consecutive matches and is unbeaten since its loss within the 2021 Copa America final.

Switzerland beat Cameroon 1-0 with a Breel Embolo goal and is seeking to win its opening two World Cup games for the primary time. The last time Switzerland won two consecutive games within the tournament was in 2006.

Cameroon and Serbia each lost opening matches to establish a pivotal Group G match.

Serbia lost 2-0 to Brazil on a miserable night wherein it didn’t get a single shot on goal for its first loss in seven matches. Cameroon narrowly fell 1-0 to Switzerland and hasn’t won in five consecutive matches.

A loss for either team — combined with a draw between Brazil and Switzerland — could send each Cameroon and Serbia to the ultimate group stage game with nothing to play for on the World Cup.

“The mistakes that were made (against Switzerland) is not going to be made again in the following game,” Cameroon coach Rigobert Song said.

Serbia felt it played well in the primary half against Brazil before falling apart within the second half.

“The impression is that we began the second half with an excessive amount of respect for the Brazilian national team and that cost us a positive result,” Serbia’s national team director Stevan Stojanovic said. “By some means we raised our hands prematurely in give up, which prior to now was not characteristic of this generation.”

Ghana is in peril of elimination in its match against South Korea on Monday despite a good showing against Portugal.

Ghana scored twice against Portugal, but a loss to South Korea will make it difficult to advance out of Group H. There’s some familiarity with South Korea, though, because Ghana coach Otto Addo coached Son Heung-min on the youth level.

Addo was working for German club Hamburg when he first encountered Son.

“He’s very, very disciplined. So he became so good because he worked hard for it. That is what I hoped for, and I expected it,” Addo said.

South Korea challenged Uruguay in its opening match before settling for a 0-0 draw. Son has been fidgeting with a Batman-style mask to guard the fractured eye socket he suffered on Nov. 2 in a Champions League match.

“It’s not about being apprehensive or not so far as Son is worried, he was recently injured and he was attempting to feel comfortable with the face mask,” South Korea coach Paulo Bento said. “He needed to feel comfortable along with his teammates and his opponents.”

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