Ghana would need to showcase resilience in defence and gritty midfield in the face of expected predation by group opponents.
South Korea is very compact side and has got speed. Unrelenting is their style of play that opponents need to energize for a stormy encounter with the Asians.
Portugal would feature key man Ronaldo. For a team that could handle major European sides to respectable results, the Portuguese ought to be watched very closely. A good result against Portugal places the favoured side on poll position and on the climb. Portugal has the ability to knock the ball around and attack in pinpointed manner. They cannot be underrated on set pieces as the Ronaldo model of scoring from any angle is great motivation for the team. Defenders tackling forward players of Portugal must tread cautiously in their penalty box, lest they attract worst decisions.
Against Portugal, it will be a grudge match for Ghana, beaten 2-1 by Ronaldo’s men in Brazil 2014. Ronaldo pounced on a gifted flick to his path In the penalty box by Ghana’s goalkeeper, and the maestro’s foot screamed with a thank you. He made no mistake, hitting the back of the net to put the smiles on faces of the fans.
Against former World Cup Champions, Uruguay, Ghana faces a rugged side that has history, achievement, character and current record as badges. A must-watch game as Ghana scratches heads on how to pay Uruguay in its own coin, having been denied world cup semis by the magical hands of Luis Suarez at the south Africa 2010 world cup. The Uruguayan used his hands to block a header on the goal line in the very last seconds of that cliffhanger. They went ahead to beat Ghana on penalties.
From Qatar, the world is expected to witness a super grudge match between Ghana and Uruguay as each side hopes to gain upper hand for the boasting rights.
Luis Suarez is coming again and Ghana’s chief protagonist who has been on retirement is announcing a return to the game, hoping for a recall to join the team to Qatar.
The grass is definitely going to suffer under the feet of the twenty two players from Africa and South America. Ghana needs to focus and push forward if it wants anything out of this game.
