From two days in a row, will Portugal or Serbia be able to make it three?
The Thanksgiving World Cup lineup continues, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Neymar making the table.
Switzerland beat Cameroon 1-0 this morning, while Suarez and Uruguay were held to a 0-0 draw by Son Heung-min and South Korea in the second match of the day. The parade of matches continues, with Ronaldo – likely his last World Cup – and Portugal facing Ghana. Will he use his performance for Portugal as an audition for a new club?
Finally, title favorites Brazil and their forward nine begin their World Cup campaign against Serbia in Group G.
Ronaldo believes he has a goal
Follow every match: Results of the World Cup live
Just as Ghana looked to have settled into a defensive groove, Ronaldo and Mohamed Dziku collided in the 30th minute, who slotted safely over the top. Ronaldo won, shot into the box and fired past Atti-Ziga. American referee Ismail Elfat immediately waved off the goal, awarding a foul to the captain of the Portuguese national team.
A narrow call in any case, and one Ronaldo was not happy with. — Jason Anderson
Atti-Zigi rejects Ronaldo
Ghana’s Lawrence Atti-Zigi made just one save, but a big one.
After the turnover, Ronaldo quickly headed for goal, but the St. Gallen keeper was quick enough to cover the corner and make the stop. Portugal had plenty of possession, but apart from a couple of nervy minutes either side of that chance (Ronaldo headed over the bar shortly after from a corner), Ghana kept a controlled pace and held their own. — Jason Anderson
Portugal-Ghana warehouses
Cristiano Ronaldo will start for Portugal, while Ghana will play with a 5-4-1 formation.
Portugal line-up (4-3-3): Diego Costa; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Diaz, Danilo Pereira, Rafael Guerreiro; Bruno Fernandez, Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva; Ottavio, Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix.
Ghana squad (5-4-1): Laurentius Ati-Zigi; Alidou Seydu, Alexander Jiku, Daniel Amartey, Mohamed Salisu, Baba Rahman; Mohamed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Salis Abdul Samed, Andre Ayew; Ignacy Williams
Unsurprisingly, Portugal are giving Ronaldo, who is now without a club, a start, and he is fielding one of the strongest squads at the tournament. Ghana, meanwhile, will leave Atletico Bilbao forward Ignacy Williams – whose brother Nico is also playing for the Spanish national team at this tournament – hoping to score on the counter-attack. — Jason Anderson
What is in store for Messi and Ronaldo’s legacy?
Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo have won the World Cup in their illustrious careers.
Former USMNT and MLS player Brian Dunsett and USA TODAY Sports+’s Emily Olsen discuss what this year’s World Cup could mean for the legacies of two of the most decorated players in the history of the game.
A look at the stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
The 22nd FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday, in which 32 elite football teams will play 64 matches over 29 days. Qatar, with a population of 2.7 million in a country smaller than the state of Connecticut, is the smallest country to host the World Cup since Switzerland in 1954. It is also the first country in the Middle East to host the tournament.
Under a a well-documented cloud of labor exploitation and human rights abuses, most of the eight lavishly decorated stadiums that serve as venues for the FIFA World Cup have been built or renovated with the option of reducing capacity after the tournament or being completely repurposed as part of an environmental development. Qatar has pledged to allocate 170,000 stadium seats to developing countries in need of sports infrastructure.
Here are the eight stadiums of the World Cup. — Stephen J. Beard
Uruguay, South Korea draw 0-0
Uruguay and South Korea played to a scoreless draw. Both teams had late scoring opportunities. The attempt missed. South Korea’s Son Heung-min missed from outside the box in the 90th minute. Uruguayan Federico Valverde hit the left post from outside the penalty area in the 89th minute. South Korea’s Hwang In-bom misses from outside the penalty area in the 94th minute.
Switzerland’s Embalo refuses to celebrate a goal against Cameroon, his home country
Switzerland striker Brill Embala was full of emotions after him the winning goal against Cameroonfor various reasons.
Scoring any goal at the World Cup is a major milestone, but for Embal, Thursday’s strike in the 48th minute of the eventual 1-0 win was much more profound.
Embalo was born in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde and moved to France at the age of five before settling in Switzerland soon after. The Monaco forward called himself Cameroon’s biggest fan.
Embala latched on to Xherdon Shaqiri’s cross and fired home from close range before raising his hands in muted, if not apologetic, celebration.
“I told him, ‘Brill, friendship first, then they are your rivals,'” Switzerland coach Murat Jakin said after the game. “Football writes such stories, but he accomplished his mission.” — Seth Vertelny, Pro Soccer Wire.
Uruguay, South Korea goalless at half-time
Uruguay’s Diego Godin nearly scored the opening goal in the dying minutes of the first half, but his header from the center of the box hit the left post.
After a midfield battle, Uruguay began to find their footing. In the 21st minute, Luis Suarez and Darwin Nunes both looked to complete a cross in the penalty area. Núñez mistimed his jump and missed a great opportunity in front of goal.
Ten minutes later, South Korea got their chance. Hwang Wee-Joe’s close-range effort flew over the crossbar. The half-time break approaches without goals.
After wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, USA Men’s National Team scorer Tim Weah joined Good Morning America to discuss his goal against Wales, facing England and his soccer family history. His father, George, was the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year and is now the president of Liberia.
Son is the star of South Korea. He plays his club football for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League. For South Korea, he has 35 goals in 104 international matches.
Son is wearing a mask against Uruguay due to a fractured left eye socket suffered earlier this month against Olympique de Marseille in the Champions League. He did not play for three weeks.
“He knows and we know that after this injury we cannot rule out any risks,” coach Paulo Bento said.
Son gets the start against Jose Gimenez. The South Korean superstar is making his comeback after suffering a facial fracture on Nov. 2 during a Champions League game.
Luis Suarez is playing for the Uruguay national team for the fourth time at the World Cup. He will line up alongside 23-year-old Darwin Nunes, who is making his 14th cap for Uruguay and third alongside Suarez.
At every World Cup, something terrible happens.
The type of moments that make you scream “what just happened?!?”
From David Beckham being sent off at the 1998 World Cup and Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup, to Zinedine Zidane’s shocking header in the 2006 World Cup final and Suarez biting another player, here’s a look at the craziest moments from previous World Championships.
Embalo beat Switzerland Cameroon
Switzerland won their opening game, beating Cameroon 1-0, with Cameroonian-born Brill Embalo scoring the only goal. Brazil and Serbia meet to complete the opening day of Group G.
Switzerland leads 1-0 against Cameroon
Switzerland’s Cameroonian-born Brill Embalo fires a shot from the center of the box to break the deadlock in the 49th minute.
Switzerland, Cameroon tied at halftime
Switzerland and Cameroon went into the break tied 0-0 as Swiss goalkeeper Jan Sommer kept Cameroon off the scoreboard with two first-half saves.
Whether it was Landon Donovan’s late winner in 2010 or Diego Maradona’s ‘Goal of the Century’ for Argentina in 1986, the World Cup has delivered unforgettable moments on the world stage for more than 90 years.
Participating this year in Qatar, for the first time in the Middle East, these are the top 10 moments (plus a bonus, an honorable mention!) from the illustrious history of the World Cup.
Switzerland – Cameroon – 5 am
Rounding out Group G are heavy hitters Brazil and Serbia, and both Switzerland and Cameroon will be looking to pick up points in this game. While Cameroon were knocked out in the group stages in 2010 and 2014, Switzerland have progressed to the knockout stages in four of their last five appearances at the tournaments.
Time: Thursday, November 24 at 5 AM ET
Stadium: Al Janub Stadium
How to watch: FOX and Telemundo or broadcast on fuboTV and Peacock (Spanish)
Uruguay – South Korea – 8 am
The focus of this game is Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min, who is recovering from a fractured left eye socket he suffered on November 1 in the Champions League. He is expected to play in a mask.
“He knows and we know that after this injury we cannot rule out any risks,” coach Paulo Bento said.
Time: Thursday, November 24 at 8 am ET
Stadium: Educational city stadium
How to watch: FOX and Telemundo or broadcast on fuboTV and Peacock (Spanish)
Portugal – Ghana – 11 am
Cristiano Ronaldo expressed dissatisfaction with his former club Manchester United. So this World Cup, likely to be the last, will be an audition for a new team? Ronaldo, 37, insisted the drama would not spill over to the country, and his former United team-mate Bruno Fernandes agreed. At least publicly.
“Our focus is 100% on the national team and we are 100% focused on what we have to do,” Fernandez said.
Time: Thursday, November 24th at 11am ET
Stadium: Stadium 974
How to watch: FOX and Telemundo or broadcast on fuboTV and Peacock (Spanish)
Brazil – Serbia – 14.00
You need to be confident to bring nine forwards to the World Cup and tournament favorites Brazil have done just that. With players like Neymar and Vinicius Jr., settling for anything less than a trophy could be seen as a setback for this team.
Time: Thursday, November 24th at 2:00 PM ET
Stadium: Lusail Stadium
How to watch: FOX and Telemundo or broadcast on fuboTV and Peacock (Spanish)
