Korea’s 2022 Qatar World Cup Group H contenders, Portugal, suffered a hardship, but Uruguay and Ghana were able to prepare for the World Cup comfortably with victories.
Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the 2022-2023 UEFA Nations League Group 2 Group 6 match held at Braga Municipal Stadium in Portugal on the 28th. In the 43rd minute of the second half, following a tight 0-0 match, Spain’s Alvaro Morata (30, Atlético Madrid) conceded the winning goal.
The UEFA Nations League, which has been held every two years since the 2018-2019 season, is held for the third time in its third year. In League A, which is the highest level, 16 countries play a group stage. fight for the championship
The match was the day the last match of the League A group stage was played, and the last team to advance to the final was decided. Croatia in Group 1, Italy in Group 3 and the Netherlands in Group 4 confirmed their progress to the finals. Portugal, who had maintained the top spot in Group 2 (10 points) before the match, might advance to the finals just by drawing a draw with Spain. Both teams have drawn in their last 5 head-to-head matches.
The attack in the first half was dominated by Portugal, but in the second half, Spain increased the number of shots and put pressure on Portugal. In the end, Portugal’s goal opened. In the 43rd minute of the second half, Spain’s Dani Carvajal (30, Real Madrid) crossed from the right side of the penalty area to the left of the goal. was finished with In the second half of extra time, Cristiano Ronaldo (37, Manchester United) received a penetration pass from the right side of the penalty area and shot a right-footed shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Spain, with 11 points from 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, climbed to the top of the table and took the last train in the Nations League final.
Uruguay defeated Canada 2-0 in an evaluation match in Bratislava, Slovakia. Uruguay, who scored the first goal with a free kick from Nicolas de la Cruz (25, River Plate) in the 6th minute of the first half, Darwin Nuñez (23, Liverpool) headered a cross from Luis Suarez (35, Nacional) in the 33rd minute of the first half put in Uruguay, who lost 1-0 in the evaluation match once morest Iran on the 24th, succeeded in rebounding with a scoreless victory that day. The appearance of Suarez and Nuñez, who have achieved ‘the old and the new two-top’, working together to even a goal, has become a part of Korea to be particularly wary of.
Korea’s other World Cup group opponent, Ghana, also defeated Nicaragua 1-0 in an evaluation match in Lorca, Spain. In the 35th minute of the first half, Abdul Fatau Isahaku (18, Sporting) wound up with his left foot from the right corner of the penalty area, and the ball broke the net and became the winning goal.
Ahead of the evaluation match once morest Brazil and Nicaragua, Ghana summoned naturalized players such as striker Inaki Williams (28, Athletic Bilbao) and defender Tariq Lampti (22, Brighton) to the national team. Williams, the core of them, appeared as a substitute in the match once morest Brazil (0-3) on the 24th, and then started as a forward striker on that day, and he seemed to melt into the national team.
By Kim Bae-joong wanted@donga.com