Portugal will meet Ghana in their final Group G match in what could be their last respective appearances at the FIFA World Cup 2014. The match will be played at the Mane Garrincha national stadium in Brasilia on Thursday, June 26.
Nothing is in their hands as a draw in the other Group G fixture or a marginal win for either teams will be enough to knock both Ghana and Portugal out of the ongoing edition of the world cup. Both teams will be hoping that one team gets beat heavily in the other fixture as they themselves look to win big.
As things stand, Portugal will need to win 4-0 to win if the Germans are able to beat USA 1-0. In the event that the reverse happens, the Portuguese will need to win 8-0 in order to proceed into the next round. Ghana will have to win 2-0 if Germany win the other fixture 1-0 while if the USA win by the same score, the African nation will need to win by 5 goals. Hence, both teams’ hopes of qualification depend on what happens in the other match.
Portugal will be heavily dependent on a half fit Cristiano Ronaldo which has been one of the main reasons behind some of this team’s abject performances. Ronaldo suffered some injuries in the closing stages of last season when he turned out for Real Madrid and he suffered a knee injury in the buildup to the world cup in Brazil during training.
Ronaldo’s performances have hardly been of his own standards in the ongoing tournament and fans will be hoping that the Ballon d’Or winner give them something to cheer about come Thursday. Silvertre Varela is almost sure to start after handing his team a life-line in the last game with a last gasp header off a delightful cross from his captain. Paulo Bento will put out a team which will be designed to go all out from the word go as the Portuguese search for qualification to the second round.
Ghana had suffered a shock defeat in their opener against the USA, but they were the better team against Germany and could have won against them had it not been for Miroslav Klose’s record equaling strike. One would suspect that Ghana have enough in their locker to pull off a victory.
Kwasi Appiah’s side have some great talents in Kevin Prince Boateng, Christian Atsu, Andre Ayew and skipper Asamoah Gyan, all of whom are expected to start on Thursday. With so much attacking talent on display and both teams having no other option but to go at it right from the word go, spectators are in for a very exciting match of football as the two teams go head to head.