Five-time champions Brazil and Portugal advanced to the knockout stage on matchday nine as 14 goals were scored across four matches – more than any other day in Qatar. The first two games between Cameroon v Serbia and Ghana v South Korea set the tone for the rest of the day, as the Arab World Cup's round two of action concluded with two-time winners France also confirming their last berth. With the decisive round three getting underway from Tuesday, we take a look at the Monday that was, along with the prospects of two of the three last 16 teams:
Brazil can only benefit from Neymar's presence, Swiss best placed to join Brazil
Much of the talk surrounding the match was dominated by the topic of the injured Neymar, who polarizes opinion in equal measure for various reasons among the Brazilian people, so much so that past and present Selecao footballers were compelled to come to his defence on the eve of the Switzerland clash.
With Brazil confirming their Round of 16 berth with a 1-0 win over the Swiss, head coach Tite might look to rest his regular starters against Cameroon, and give others on the star-studded bench a try. On the basis of Monday's evidence, where a Vinicius Junior goal was disallowed for offside before Casemiro executed a fine finish, Brazil did well in a tournament of upsets to seal qualification in round two. But against bigger opponents, they will need every last bit of Neymar's experience and talents to end the 20-year drought of the South American teams.
Should Brazil finish as group champions, Neymar will have six days to recover for their last 16 clash against potentially Ghana, Uruguay or South Korea. Despite doubts lingering over the Brazilian poster boy's participation in the remainder of the competition, Tite is adamant both he, currently undergoing intensive physiotherapy in a compression boot aimed to heal the injury quickly, and injured right-back Danilo will feature in the tournament.
Were Brazil to get past the last 16, they are likely to face Spain, Morocco or Belgium in the quarter-final. And if the Selecao qualify for the semi-final for the first time in eight years, they might come across…foes Argentina. Provided Brazil get a shot at the hexa, they are likely to face either one of England, France, Germany or Portugal in the grand finale.
Switzerland, who overcame the first-round hurdle three times in the last four editions, are best placed on three points to join Brazil in the last 16. In the event of a Brazil victory against Cameroon, or even a draw, the Swiss can progress if they avoid defeat against their European rivals Serbia. The Serbians will be distraught having to go into the final matchday on just a solitary point after being held to a thrilling 3-3 draw by the Indomitable Lions, who had trailed 3-1 at one point.
Cameroon's pre-match preparation was marred by dramatic set of events as coach Rigobert Song dropped first choice goalkeeper, Inter Milan's Andre Onana, reportedly over disagreement on team tactics. With their star player missing, the replacement custodian Devis Epassy came under the microscope, partly for his role in the second goal scored by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Song has not yet revealed whether to give Onana a second chance or send him back home.
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Bruno carrying Portugal, Ghana brace for Uruguay revenge match
In pursuit of a maiden World Cup title, Portugal's preparations were dominated by questions surrounding the future of Cristiano Ronaldo after his acrimonious exit from Manchester United. Amid so much attention on Ronaldo, his club teammate Bruno Fernandes has quietly gone about his business and produced the goods, becoming an early contender for the player of the tournament award.
The midfielder assisted Joao Felix and Rafael Leao against Ghana, before establishing his authority against Uruguay in a game crying out for a moment of inspiration after a drab first half. The 28-year old scored twice after resumption to become the first player in the tournament with multiple goals and assists so far. Arguably United's best performer in recent times when most of his clubmates were lagging behind his standards and level of consistency, Bruno has 66 goal contributions for the Red Devils in exactly 100 appearances (38 goals, 28 assists).
The former Sporting Lisbon booter has transferred his club form to the biggest stage, outshining every other teammate in a talented Portuguese squad. Fernando Santos will most likely give his best performer a rest against South Korea, who like Uruguay are stuck on one point. Bruno will be raring to go in the last 16 – where Switzerland might lie in wait - this time after warming the bench for the entirety of their Round of 16 clash in Russia in which they lost to Uruguay. If Portugal conquer that stage, they are likely to battle with Germany, Belgium or Morocco for a last four spot. Get past that and England or France will probably await them in the semis.
While the Iran-USA clash was one of the matches to watch out for when the groups were drawn, the Ghana-Uruguay encounter was not far behind. The two teams locked horns with each other in the 2010 quarter-final where the Africans were given the lead by Sulley Muntari. Diego Forlan equalized to take the game to extra time. With spot-kicks looming and the score locked at 1-1, Luis Suarez, with his hands, stopped a Asamoah Gyan effort from going in, prompting the referee to point to the spot. But Gyan missed, Suarez celebrated wildly in the dugout after being sent off and Africa missed out on a golden opportunity to possibly have its first ever semi-finalist as La Celeste prevailed 4-2 in tie-breaker. The two-time champions are the only team from this group not to have scored thus far and after being ignored for the starting XI against the Portuguese, the Ghanaians may now cross paths with a familiar face in Suarez for the revenge match.
Ghana will have the comfort of knowing that a draw will be enough for progression, given that South Korea do not upset Portugal. Like the Koreans, the Uruguayans too are up against it and must win their last game, and also hope the former do not better their result. Among the three teams fighting for one spot, it is Otto Addo's charges who are the most buoyant after their wild 3-2 win over the Taeguk Warriors, where Mohammed Kudus became the first Ghanaian to score twice in a match.
What South Korean legends Ji-sung Park and Heung-min Son could not achieve, Gue-sung Cho did - score twice in a game - to lead South Korea's reply. Cho's twin headers – first time an Asian player scored twice with the head in the history of the competition – were not enough though as Kudus bagged the winner.