15:53
The 2002 World Cup, as already mentioned, was the only time these two national teams have met so far. The game marked the end of the group phase. And South Korea knocked Portugal out of the tournament 1-0.
15:44
On the continental level, both sides have titles. Portugal were European champions in 2016 and also triumphed in the 2019 UEFA Nations League. The South Korean successes are longer ago, the Taegeuk Warriors were 1956 and 1960 Asian champions. At the last edition in 2019, the eventual champion Qatar failed in the quarter-finals. For the Portuguese, it was the end of the 2021 European Championship in the round of 16 against Belgium.
15:39
South Korea are aiming for a third place in the round of 16 in their eleventh World Cup appearance, their tenth in a row. The two-time Asian champion had only managed to do that in 2002 and 2010. At the tournament 20 years ago on their own country (co-hosted by Japan), the South Koreans even stormed to the semi-finals and finished fourth. Those were the days when Germany, despite their manageable technical talent, was considered a tournament team thanks to long-lost virtues and usually went far. Incidentally, Portugal has rarely been at the World Cup, the south-western Europeans are only contesting their eighth tournament. The Iberians have survived the group stage for the fifth time, reaching the semi-finals in 1966 (third) and 2006 (fourth).
15:28
After beating Ghana (3-2) and Uruguay (2-0), the Seleção Portuguesa already have a place in the round of 16. A point is still missing to secure group victory on their own and in all likelihood to prevent a clash with Brazil, the supposed winners of Group G. For South Korea, on the other hand, a threesome is mandatory. The East Asians only scored against the Urus (0-0) and lost 2-3 against Ghana. The Taegeuk Warriors also have to hope that the West Africans don’t win against the South Americans at the same time. We take care of everything else, even if the goal difference comes into play in the event of a tie, if current events require it.
15:19
For the South Koreans, coach Paulo Bento makes three changes compared to the game against Ghana. Instead of Min-jae Kim, Chang-hoon Kwon and Woo-yeong Jeong, who will sit on the bench, Kyung-won Kwon, Jae-sung Lee and Kang-in Lee will start. The Portuguese coach in the service of South Korea has to watch from the stands after the red card in the last game today. Fernando Santos allows himself six changes in view of the secured advancement. Rúben Dias, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho and João Félix are rested and find themselves on the bench. In addition, Nuno Mendes may even be in danger of losing the World Cup due to a muscle injury in his left thigh. New to Portugal’s starting line-up are Diogo Dalot, António Silva, Vitinha, João Mário, Matheus Nunes and Ricardo Horta.
15:08
Welcome to the last preliminary round of the 2022 World Cup! So today the last sixteen finalists are being sought. We’ll first go to Group H, where South Korea and Portugal will face off at 4:00 p.m. CET.