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Who: Portugal vs Uzbekistan. What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match. Where: NRG Stadium, Houston. When: Tuesday, 12pm local time (17:00 GMT). How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream.
A day after Lionel Messi became the World Cup’s all-time highest scorer, the focus shifts to his great rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, with the football world braced for a bounce-back performance from the ageing superstar forward in Portugal’s meeting with Uzbekistan.
After being held to a shock 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their tournament opener, Portugal need a win to revive their knockout qualification hopes. For Ronaldo, who had a largely anonymous display in his first appearance, the match offers a chance at redemption.
Tournament debutants Uzbekistan, on the other hand, head into the game on the back of a 3-1 defeat by Colombia, needing at least a draw to avoid elimination.
Portugal drew criticism for their performance against DR Congo, especially for their weakness in the final third. Coach Roberto Martinez said his players started brightly but lost discipline and structure after the first 20 minutes. “We are strong and focused. And our group is even more united than before. It is a process. Tension is not part of our team,” Martinez said.
Martinez refused to say whether Ronaldo would start, amid calls for the 41-year-old to be benched. However, he described him as a “role model” for the team.
Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro has urged the team to put up a stronger fight. “As I have always said, we have nothing to lose. Portugal always like to control the game. They will start in a very good way; they want to play fast. We will be prepared for that. We have our strategy. I know we are going to face a very good team. We will try to do our best and stay in the game until the end,” Cannavaro said.
Stats provider Opta’s supercomputer has handed Portugal a whopping 80.3 percent probability of winning against Uzbekistan, who have a mere 6.8 percent chance of winning. There is a 12.9 percent probability of a draw.
In Group K, Colombia lead with three points, DR Congo are second with one point, Portugal third with one point, and Uzbekistan bottom with none.
The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – proceed to the round of 32, introduced for the first time after the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams.
Tuesday’s game in Houston will be the first-ever meeting between Portugal and Uzbekistan. All Portugal players, apart from Tomas Araujo, are available, including Ruben Dias, who sat out the opener. There are no reported injury concerns for Uzbekistan.
Source: www.aljazeera.com