Today's match day at the World Cup in North America offers two extremely intriguing battles from the second round of the group stage.
The focus of the global sports community is on Houston and Boston, where favorites Portugal and England will try to seal their ambitions for the next phase of the tournament.
Portugal – Uzbekistan: Mission „Must-win“ for Cristiano Ronaldo and company
Time & Place: 7:00 PM (local time) / NRG Stadium, Houston
Group: K
European giants Portugal arrive at “NRG Stadium“ in Texas under serious pressure. Roberto Martinez's team disappointed in their first match, drawing 1-1 against DR Congo. This puts the “sailors“ in a position where wrong steps are now forbidden if the team wants to win Group K without depending on other people's results.
The great “Ronaldo“ conundrum
All eyes will once again be on 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo. In the first match the Portuguese superstar seemed isolated at the top of the attack and for the first time in his career at the World Cup did not register a single accurate shot. Criticism in the Portuguese media is increasing, but Martinez remains firm in his decision to bet on the veteran, supported in the midfield by the creative Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves.
On the other side is the tough team of Uzbekistan. The Asian team made its historic debut at the world finals with a decent game, despite the 1:3 loss to Colombia. The main figure for the Uzbeks will be the 21-year-old Manchester City defender – Abdukodir Khusanov, who has been entrusted with the difficult task of guarding Ronaldo.
England – Ghana: Thomas Tuchel wants a new goal spectacle in Boston
Time and place: 8:00 PM (local time) / Gillette Stadium, Foxborough (Boston)
Group: L
In the late match of today's schedule, England take on Ghana in the first official competitive match between the two nations at a World Cup. The new era under Thomas Tuchel has started promisingly - the “Three Lions“ showed exceptional aggression and attacking power in the first round, running over Croatia 4-2.
Records and tactical question marks
Captain Harry Kane, who scored twice against the Croatians, is just one goal away from from overtaking the legendary Gary Lineker to become England's all-time leading scorer at World Cups. Meanwhile, the phenom Jude Bellingham is expected to make his 50th appearance for the national team - an achievement that, at his tender age, would make him the youngest player in England's history to reach such an milestone. Tuchel, however, has tactical dilemmas on the wings, where Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford are fighting for starting places.
Ghana, however, enter the match with high self-confidence. The Africans won a dramatic victory over Panama in the first round thanks to a goal in added time and now have 3 points to their credit. The “Black Stars”, led by Otto Oddo, are betting on exceptional physical fitness, high pressing and the speed of the blade Antoine Semenyo. Historically, Ghana knows how to surprise at World Cups, and a possible positive result against England would launch them directly towards eliminations.
Current group standings before today's matches:
Group K:
- Колумбия – 3 т. (3:1 гол. разлика)
- Португалия – 1 т. (1:1)
- ДР Конго – 1 т. (1:1)
- Узбекистан – 0 т. (1:3)
Група L:
- Англия – 3 т. (4:2)
- Гана – 3 т. (1:0)
- Панама – 0 т. (0:1)
- Хърватия – 0 т. (2:4)
Очертава се гореща футболна вечер в САЩ, която може да пренареди плановете на фаворитите и да донесе първите сензации в елиминационната фаза на най-големия футболен форум.