November 28, 2022 World Cup news and highlights

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after a goal against Uruguay on Monday.

Portugal punched its ticket to the knockout round of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory Monday over Uruguay in Group H.

In the 54th minute, Portugal broke the 0-0 tie. Bruno Fernandes chipped a cross into the box as Cristiano Ronaldo darted toward the goal. It initially appeared Ronaldo might have gotten his head to the ball but it just sailed over him and into the back of the net.

Knowing the path to advance just became much harder, Uruguay began to play with more urgency. After coming on as a substitute, Maxi Gomez stung the woodwork of the goalpost to nearly get the equalizer. Luis Suarez also had a good chance from point-blank range that hit the side netting.

In the 90th minute, the referee awarded Portugal a penalty after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check deemed that Uruguay committed a handball in the penalty box. Fernandes stepped to the spot and put the ball coolly to the goalie’s right as he dove the other way to seal the game for Portugal.

With the win, Portugal joins France and Brazil as the only teams that have advanced so far to the Round of 16. 

Uruguay has a lot of work to do to get to the next round. It will need to beat Ghana in the final group stage match, plus get help on goal differential. 

Portugal was awarded a penalty after a video review and Bruno Fernandes scored a second goal for the team in extra time.

Portugal 2-0 Uruguay

A pitch invader runs on the field during the match between Portugal and Uruguay on Monday.

A few minutes before Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for Portugal, a pitch invader carrying a rainbow flag brought the game to a temporary halt at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.

The fan was wearing a Superman shirt with the words “Save Ukraine” on the front of the shirt and “Respect for Iranian Woman” on the back.

The incident happened in the 51st minute of the game. The FIFA global television feed avoided showing the pitch invader, but the individual could be seen running on the field trailing the flag as they were pursued by security officials. The match official was later seen picking the flag up off the turf. 

CNN has reached out to FIFA and the Qatar tournament organizers for more information on the incident.

The rainbow flag has been a controversial one at the World Cup.

On Saturday, two German soccer fans told CNN that they were asked by security officials to remove the rainbow-colored items they were wearing as they made their way to watch the World Cup match between France and Denmark.

Last week, American journalist Grant Wahl and former Wales captain Laura McAllister both said they were told by security staff to remove clothing with rainbow-colored patterns.

Wahl said he was released 25 minutes after being detained and received apologies from a FIFA representative and a senior member of the security team at the stadium.

When asked to clarify the dress code for fans, FIFA referred CNN to the tournament handbook, which states “expats and tourists are free to wear the clothing of their choice, as long as it is modest and respectful to the culture.”

After some Wales fans were also denied entry into stadiums for wearing rainbow-colored bucket hats, the Welsh Football Association said FIFA told the federation on Thursday that rainbow-colored flags and hats would be permitted at World Cup stadiums in Qatar.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo jumps up to head the ball on Monday.

Portugal opened the scoring with a goal in the 54th minute against Uruguay.

The shot was struck by Bruno Fernandes and Christiano Ronaldo rose to head it in front of the Uruguay goal. But it was unclear whether he touched it.

At first, the score was attributed to Ronaldo although FIFA later said the scorer was Fernandes.

The second half of the match between Portugal and Uruguay is underway. The teams are tied 0-0.

Portugal's Bernardo Silva, left, fights for the ball with Uruguay's Mathias Olivera on Monday.

It’s halftime in Portugal vs. Uruguay, with no goal for either team.

Portugal dominated the first half in terms of ball possession and shots on goal. But it couldn’t seem to find a way through as Uruguay defended stoutly inside its own half.

We’ll see if Portugal’s creative players — like Bruno Fernandes, who had two assists in the World Cup opener — can unlock Uruguay in the second period.

And despite losing the possession battle, it was Uruguay that had the best chance of the half.

In the 32nd minute and against the run of play, Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur made an incredible run, driving the ball forward from his own half and weaving his way through the Portuguese defense. But Portugal’s goalie Diogo Costa came out and managed to deny Bentancur what would have been an exceptional individual goal.

If Portugal wins, it will advance to the knockout round. Uruguay cannot advance or be eliminated today. But if Uruguay wins tonight, it only needs a draw against Ghana in the final group match to advance.

Brazil and France are the only two teams with a spot in the Round of 16 so far.

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It is with his dedication to football, alongside his natural talent, that Rúben Dias has forged his reputation as one of the game’s best defenders, winning the Premier League twice with Manchester City and now featuring at the 2022 World Cup with Portugal.

“I had the chance of being in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. And I definitely felt a different perspective because it’s one thing to watch it from the outside, you know how big it is, but then to actually live it and be there, it’s just something else,” he said. “As a player, it’s probably the biggest [trophy] you can achieve. It’s unfair to put it into words, to be honest, the feeling you must have after you’ve done it.”

Dias was included in Portugal’s 2018 squad but the then 21-year-old picked up an injury and didn’t feature in any matches.

This will be his second World Cup for Portugal.

A Portugal fan cheers before the match between Portugal and Uruguay on Monday.

Portugal vs. Uruguay gets underway. If Portugal wins, it will advance to the knockout round. Uruguay cannot advance or be eliminated today.

Brazil and France are the only two teams with a spot in the Round of 16 so far.

Fans of Uruguay are seen ahead of the match on Monday.

Portugal and Uruguay are set to play at 2 p.m. ET. Here’s a look at the lineups:

Portugal

Manager: Fernando Santos

Goalkeeper: Diogo Costa

Defenders: João Cancelo, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Nuno Mendes

Midfielders: Rúben Neves, Bernardo Silva, William

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix, Bruno Fernandes

——————-

Uruguay

Manager: Diego Alonso

Goalkeepers: Sergio Rochet

Defenders: Sebastián Coates, José María Giménez, Diego Godín, Mathías Olivera

Midfielders: Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Valverde, Matías Vecino

Forwards: Edinson Cavani, Darwin Núñez, Guillermo Varela

Brazil celebrates scoring their first goal on Monday.

It took 82 minutes, but Brazil managed to break the deadlock and defeat Switzerland 1-0.

It was Casemiro who got the goal for Brazil. Late in the second half, a ball fell to his feet in the box and the midfielder buried it.

With the win, Brazil booked its spot in the knockout round. They join France as the only squads to qualify so far for the round of 16.

Switzerland is still second in Group G with 3 points and is in a good position to advance to the next stage of the tournament as well.

Brazil's Casemiro celebrates after scoring a goal on Monday.

Midfielder Casemiro gets the opening goal for Brazil in the 82nd minute of the match. The pressure is on Switzerland to score an equalizer now as the second half approaches its end.

Brazil 1-0 Switzerland

Brazil supporters react after a goal against Switzerland was declared invalid on Monday.

OK, time to explain a rule you’re probably hearing a lot on TV during the World Cup and you might be confused as to what and how it is defined: offside.

First of all, only the team with possession of the ball in its opponent’s half of the field can be offside. 

Let’s say a player on Team A is attacking with the ball. If this player’s teammate — head, arms, body and feet included — is ahead of the ball and doesn’t have at least two of Team B’s players (including the goalkeeper) in line or in front of them when the ball is played, then this teammate is offside.

It’s kind of like conveniently camping out at the goal post, waiting to receive the ball.

Even if this teammate was not passed the ball, the fact that they were positioned this close to the goal or opposition goalkeeper ahead of time makes them offside, colloquially referred to as “still interfering with play.”

And timing is of the essence. Because when the teammate receives the ball while onside, they are then free to outrun Team B’s players, get close to the goal and score.

The exception to this rule is corner kicks, goal kicks and throw-ins.

Brazil's Vinícius Júnior scores a goal that was ruled offside.

Vinícius Júnior’s goal for Brazil was denied after a video review ruled an offside. The Seleção remain without an entry on the scoresheet.

Brazil 0-0 Switzerland

Brazil and Switzerland compete on Monday at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar.

Brazil and Switzerland have kicked off the second half of their Group G match.

Brazil's Richarlison and Switzerland's Nico Elvedi challenge for the ball on Monday.

It’s all knotted up at 0-0 in Group G between Switzerland and mighty Brazil.

Both teams are coming off wins in their previous matches, but Brazil is down two key players — Neymar and Danilo. Still, Brazil started a lineup loaded with attacking talent the likes of Vinicius, Jr. and Richarlison. But Switzerland kept The Seleção at bay for the first 45 minutes and even got forward a few times themselves.

Brazil’s best chance came in the 26th minute when Vinicius, Jr. snuck in on the back post and received the ball from Raphinha. But the Brazilian forward couldn’t catch it cleanly and Swiss goalie Yann Sommer kept him out.

Impressive job by Switzerland to hold the No. 1 team in the world scoreless at the half. But remember, in Brazil’s first match they also failed to score in the first 45 minutes before putting up two on Serbia in the second period.

A winner in this match can join France in the round of 16. So far, the French are the only team to qualify for the knockout round. Canada and host country Qatar have been eliminated.

Brazil's Vinicius Junior, right, and Switzerland's Fabian Rieder challenge for the ball on Monday.

It’s time for the third match of the day, with Brazil clashing with Switzerland.

Both teams are coming off wins in their previous matches, but Brazil is down two key players — Neymar and Danilo.

What’s at stake: The winning team will advance to the knockout round, where 16 teams compete for a spot in the quarter finals.

Time to see how this one shakes out!

Brazil and Switzerland are set to play at 11 a.m. ET. Here’s a look at the lineups:

Brazil

Manager: Tite

Goalkeepers: Alisson

Defenders: Alex Sandro, Éder Militão, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva

Midfielders: Casemiro, Fred, Vinícius Jr., Raphinha

Forwards: Lucas Paquetá, Richarlison

——————-

Switzerland

Manager: Murat Yakin

Goalkeepers: Yann Sommer

Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, Ricardo Rodriguez, Silvan Widmer

Midfielders: Remo Freuler, Fabian Rieder, Djibril Sow, Granit Xhaka

Forwards: Breel Embolo, Reuben Vargas

Brazil's Richarlison scores a sensational goal against Serbia on November 24.

Brazil’s opening round 2-0 win over Serbia was far from pretty at times, though Tite’s iteration of the Seleção is known more for its pragmatism and efficiency than its aesthetics.

As the second half wore on and Richarlison scored his and Brazil’s second to seal the victory, the players in those famous canary yellow shirts began to show flashes of the flair that World Cup fans have become used to seeing over the years.

But Neymar’s absence due to injury will be a huge blow, with the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s creativity so crucial to this team breaking defenses down.

Despite being just two goals away from equaling Pele’s all-time Brazil record of 77 goals, Neymar has never quite received the same adoration as the Brazilian greats of old, but victory in Qatar would go a long way toward changing that.

Switzerland goes into the game off the back of a hard-fought win over Cameroon, with Cameroon-born Breel Embolo scoring the second-half winner.

Embolo’s pace, movement and finishing will certainly be enough to give Brazil’s defense trouble, in particular in the absence of the injured Danilo, while Xherdan Shaqiri is still capable of producing an individual moment of brilliance.

New Manchester City signing Manuel Akanji has proven himself to be one of the world’s best defenders, with left-back Ricardo Rodriguez always a threat with his deliveries from crosses and set pieces.

The opening win over Cameroon will have given this Switzerland team a huge boost of confidence as it looks to qualify from one of the tournament’s most competitive groups, with the aim of reaching a first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954.

Iran's head coach Carlos Queiroz speaks a press conference on the eve of the match between Iran and the United States in Doha on November 28.

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz told a press conference on Monday that his team “have solidarity with all humanitarian causes” and that the United States is the best team in their World Cup group.

“We have solidarity with all humanitarian causes all over the world, whatever they are,” Queiroz said.

“Either if you talk about human rights, racism, kids that die in schools with shootings, we have solidarity with all those causes. But here our mission is to bring smiles to all people for at least for 90 minutes, that’s our mission,” he said.

The starting 11 who played in Iran’s first World Cup game against England on November 21 did not sing the national anthem ahead of the kick-off as the players appeared to make a powerful statement, in what seemed to be a show of solidarity with those protesting in Iran.

The players stood silent as the Iranian national anthem played out around the Khalifa International Stadium and the match ended in a 6-2 victory for England.

As anti-government protests entered a third month back in their home country just on the other side of the Persian Gulf, speculation had been mounting about how the players would handle the situation. In recent weeks, many other athletes have spoken out in support of the demonstrators, and several sports teams had refrained from singing the anthem.

Iran’s players, though, joined in the singing of the national anthem ahead of last Friday’s World Cup match against Wales, which the team won 2-0.

Speaking about the final game of Group B, Queiroz said: “The team that produced the best two performances in our group was without a doubt the United States.”

“They played two fantastic games, no doubt about that,” he said.

Queiroz said he had no comment when asked to explain the culture of Iranian football in response to former World Cup winner and BBC Sport pundit Jurgen Klinsmann’s critique that has put him at odds with the Iran football federation.

Iran state media on Sunday called for the US to be kicked out of the World Cup after the United States Soccer Federation changed Iran’s flag on its social media platforms to show support for protesters in Iran.

Ghana's Mohammed Salisu, middle, celebrates after scoring the opening goal against South Korea on Monday.

What a day of football! Ghana and Korea have just played out another thrilling World Cup game, but it is the Black Stars who come away with all three points.

Ghana opened the scoring against the run of play in the 24th minute after Mohammed Salisu tapped home from an indirect free kick. Ten minutes later, the Ghanaians doubled their lead, Mohammed Kudus glancing home a header.

South Korea's Kim Min-jae, left, and Ghana's Andre Ayew, right, jump to head the ball on Monday.

But Korea was not down and out. Cho Gue-sung scored two goals in the space of three minutes to draw the Taegeuk Warriors level on the hour mark from two headers. Just as the Koreans thought they could go onto win it, Kudus popped up with a second goal to win the game for the West Africans.

Ghana survived a late Korean onslaught to take the three points and leave the group wide open ahead of Portugal and Uruguay’s clash later.

The Koreans were devastated as manager Paulo Bento was sent off after the final whistle for protesting to referee Anthony Taylor. He will now miss Korea’s final match of the group against Portugal.

Fans cheer as they watch the match in Accra, Ghana, on Monday.