The World Cup is marching forward into the second matchday for Groups K and L with one of the more intriguing matchups to get started. Portugal will face off against Cristiano Ronaldo who helped DR Congo earn a 1-1 draw with the UEFA Nations League winners. Ronaldo was stellar for Les Léopards as he took three shots, none on target, and extended his goalless streak for his country to 10 in competitive matches. He’s truly silenced his supporters as DR Congo managed to give away 66% of the possession
to Portugal who managed just one goal despite being heavily favored. Uzbekistan will be looking for a similar performance as they look to bounce back following a 3-1 loss to Colombia.
After a harrowing introduction to America in which their players dealt with unfamiliar challenges such as the sun, an earthquake, a tornado, and a shooting reported near their training base in Missouri, England came away with a 4-2 win over Croatia. They will face Ghana in the Boston exurbs as the Black Stars will want to have a tea party of their own following a 1-0 win over Panama to start the tournament.
The losers in Group L will face off in an all too important game that will likely determine if Panama or Croatia can advance – or at least how much they will need help from other results in the third group play matches to go forward. The Checkered Ones are relying on an older core of players that could not keep up with England but still showed they can be dangerous by finding the net twice. Los Canaleros are a known quantity in Concacaf and will bring their trademark defensive cohesion and irritating dramatics built to break on the counter and start fights that they showed in the 1-0 loss to Ghana. They’ll need to finish their chances, or get Croatia to have a player sent off, to have a prayer at advancing in this tournament with England waiting in their last group game.
Finally, Colombia and DR Congo face off in Guadalajara with the South Americans coming in as favorites. They’ll want to build on their strong start against Uzbekistan to put themselves in the driver’s seat for the following match against Portugal. While Ronaldo offered a lot leading to the draw in the opener, DR Congo also executed its game plan sticking to a 4-1-4-1 formation and keeping a compact backline and ceding possession. It’s an approach that is effective when done well against teams like Colombia and earning a point in the game puts them in a solid position to advance from the group if they beat Uzbekistan.
Portugal vs Uzbekistan (Group K)
Location: Houston, Texas
Kick-off time: 1 pm Eastern, 10 am Pacific
TV and streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock, UNIVERSO, FOX One, Fubo (free trial)
England vs Ghana (Group L)
Location: Boston (kinda), Massachusetts
Kick-off time: 4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific
TV and streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock, FOX One, Fubo
Panama vs Croatia (Group L)
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Kick-off time: 7 pm Eastern, 4 pm Pacific
TV and streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock, FOX One, Fubo
Colombia vs DR Congo (Group K)
Location: Guadalajara, Zapopan
Kick-off time: 10 pm Eastern, 7 pm Pacific
TV and streaming: FS1, Telemundo, Peacock, FOX One, Fubo
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