Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Specials / World Cup 2014/  Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup hopes rest on unlikely results
BackBack

Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup hopes rest on unlikely results

To enter last 16, Portugal must beat Ghana by several goals and hope Germany do not draw with the US

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo was suffering from tendinosis in his left knee in the run-up to the World Cup and there is speculation that the problem has not yet cleared up. Photo: AFPPremium
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo was suffering from tendinosis in his left knee in the run-up to the World Cup and there is speculation that the problem has not yet cleared up. Photo: AFP

Brasilia: World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of continuing in the World Cup are hanging by a thread and will depend on an unlikely combination of results in Thursday’s Group G games. Ronaldo’s Portugal must beat Ghana, preferably by several goals, to have any hope of progressing but must also hope the Germany-US match does not end in a draw.

After winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, Ronaldo has had a miserable World Cup 2014 and has yet to hit the target. He was suffering from tendinosis in his left knee in the run-up to the tournament and there is speculation that the problem has not yet cleared up.

After Portugal struggled to a 2-2 draw with the US thanks to a last-gasp equaliser in their second game, Ronaldo suggested their chances had been overrated before the tournament. “I never thought that we were going to win the World Cup," he told Portuguese media after the US game. “For me, it would have been easy, I could have not come to the World Cup and finished the season as European champion. But I’m going to stand up and be counted."

“Portugal were never favourites, you just have to look at qualifying for this (World Cup). It was difficult from the start," he added.

Portugal scraped into the finals by winning a difficult two-legged playoff against Sweden, having finished a point behind Russia in their qualifying group. “We have to be humble and know our capabilities. In addition, we have had other limitations such as the cases of Pepe (sent off against Germany) and Fabio Coentrao (injured)," said Ronaldo. “At the moment, there are better national teams than ours."

Portugal and Ghana have one point each while Germany and the US have four and the latter pair will both definitely qualify if either match ends in a draw.

However, if neither game is drawn, it will come down to goal difference between the winner of Portugal-Ghana and the loser of Germany-US.

Germany have a goal difference of plus four, followed by the US (plus one), Ghana (minus one) and Portugal (minus four) so the only realistic hope for the Portuguese is a Germany win.

By a little twist of irony, the nucleus of the Germany team comes from Bayern Munich, who Ronaldo helped humiliate in the Champions League two months ago.

Ronaldo scored twice as visitors Real Madrid inflicted a crushing 4-0 second-leg defeat on Bayern in their Champions League semi-final to win 5-0 on aggregate. Reuters

For more stories from Brazil, go to www.livemint.com/worldcup2014-

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 25 Jun 2014, 06:00 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App