World Cup Group H: What do Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea need to qualify?

Group H at the World Cup has provided some real entertainment and, it must be said, some VAR controversy too.

Portugal looked like the team to beat from the moment the draw was made and that has proven to be the case, but there could be some real final-game drama in store.

Here’s what each side needs to go through.

Portugal

Portugal at the World Cup so far

Portugal are a team that can sometimes get a little lost in a Cristiano Ronaldo side-show, and his release from Manchester United threatened to be a huge distraction to them in Qatar.

They have managed the situation brilliantly, though, and found a way to beat Ghana 3-2 in their opening game. Ghana felt VAR was overly generous to Portugal, but that ultimately isn’t reflected in the table.

The Portuguese backed that up with another battling win over Uruguay with Bruno Fernandes bagging a brace in a 2-0 success.

What do Portugal need?

In terms of qualifying for the knockout stage, Portugal have already got the job done. They still need another point to be absolutely certain of winning the group, though.

Uruguay

Uruguay at the World Cup

Uruguay arrived in Qatar with an intriguing mix of ageing proven superstars and a fresh crop of talent with plenty to prove. Neither have really fired yet. In fact, they are still looking for their first goal in the 2022 World Cup.

They started out with a goalless draw against an energetic South Korean team and it immediately looked like they might come to regret not being able to find a winner.

A clash with Portugal was next and they came up short again, this time losing 2-0 to leave them bottom of the group with one game left.

What do Uruguay need?

Strange as it sounds considering they are bottom of the group, Uruguay will still be fancying their chances of reaching the knockout stage.

A win over Ghana in the final group match should be enough as long as South Korea don’t beat Portugal. If South Korea do pull off a shock, then Uruguay can still qualify if their winning margin is two goals greater than the Asian side’s.

Ghana

Ghana at the World Cup

Ghana will probably be feeling unfortunate not to be in greater contention to win Group H going into their final fixture.

They felt aggrieved by the decisions from the referee and VAR in their 3-2 defeat to Portugal and probably would have gained at least a point out of it on another day.

Otto Addo’s men followed that up with another 3-2 thriller against South Korea, but this time they were on the right side of it and head into the final group game second in the table.

What do Ghana need?

Qualification is firmly in Ghana’s hands, and they will relish the opportunity to knock Uruguay out of a World Cup after the controversial quarterfinal in 2010.

If they beat Uruguay they have an outside chance of winning the group if South Korea can beat Portugal. To ensure their qualification, though, Ghana simply need to match South Korea’s result.

South Korea

South Korea at the World Cup

South Korea will probably be scratching their heads and wondering how they have failed to win a match yet in Qatar.

Their opening fixture was a game of fine margins against Uruguay and finished in a 0-0 draw that hasn’t looked like it has helped either of them.

They followed that up with one of the games of the tournament so far as they battled back from two goals down to equalise against Ghana. As they were pushing for a winner, though, Ghana nicked one themselves and won it 3-2.

What do South Korea need

South Korea probably need to find an already-qualified Portugal in a charitable mood in their final group game, in all honesty.

Even then that won’t be enough if Ghana beat Uruguay. If Uruguay win that one, South Korea need to win by at least the same margin. In other words, what South Korea need to do is beat Portugal and hope for the best.

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