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GROUP H
MIHLALI BALEKA
GROUP H
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This may be the last group, but certainly not the least with pundits dubbing it the “Group of Death” such is the quality of all four teams.
GHANA
GHANA have been the continent’s World Cup flag bearers over the recent years. So much so that Africa, as a whole, was fully behind “BaGhana BaGhana” in 2010.
But after a disappointing performance in 2014 and missing out on the 2018 edition, it is time the Black Stars find their groove on the big stage again. They have an opportunity to avenge their painful 2010 quarter-final defeat, courtesy of Luis Suarez’s antics at FNB Stadium, when they face Uruguay again 12 years later.
URUGUAY
THE Uruguayan national team that reached the 2010 semi-finals have largely been replaced, but the pantomime villain Luis Suarez remains ready and available for selection. Suarez, 35, spent the entire season at his native Uruguay keeping fit, while he’s still weighing up his options following the finals in Qatar. But after most of the seniors left the national team, the responsibility also will lie on fellow veteran Edinson Cavani to drive the South Americans forward. The Uruguayans have a potent striking force, but their defence and engine room units are equally solid with Federico Velverde’s marshalling it.
PORTUGAL
IS this the swansong? That must be the question that Portugal fans are asking as this could be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup. The 37-yearold has won every available accolade throughout his stellar career, but a World Cupwinners medal still eludes him. There are quality players in the Portuguese squad, including his Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo, who can help “CR7” go out in some style.
But they haven’t been in good form of late and will need to hit the ground running in this tightly-contested group.
KOREA REPUBLIC
THE Koreans have been regulars in qualifying for the finals, but like their Asian counterparts, Japan, they’ve failed to leave their mark in recent years. And that won’t come easy for them. They are still sweating over the fitness of captain Heung-min Son, who sustained an injury at Tottenham Hotspur. But the Koreans won’t sit around and surrender to being early packers. They’ll believe that they can beat any nation they’ll cross paths with.
