This time the accounts are positive. Accustomed to the calculator in qualifying, the Portuguese are in the round of 16 after two games and only have to do the math to find out whether they will finish group H in first or second place.
The victory against Uruguay confirmed the selection’s passage to the next round – already with six points, three more than the second, Ghana. South Korea and Uruguay have one each.
Here are the scenarios for Portugal to finish first: If they win or draw with the team led by Paulo Bento in the final round (Friday) and if they lose to South Korea by a goal, as long as Ghana does not win in the duel with Uruguay by two or more goals.
The other three teams in the group battle for qualification, with the Ghanaians on their own to advance to eighth place. Ghana qualify with a win over Uruguay and can even go through if they draw, as long as South Korea doesn’t beat Portugal by more than two goals.
Uruguay, on the other hand, will only qualify if they beat Ghana and South Korea fail to beat the Portuguese, while Paulo Bento needs to beat Portugal to continue dreaming, but that may not be enough…
The third round of the 2022 World Cup starts on Tuesday, the day that some teams start counting. And some can be complex. There are eight criteria for determining the group stage ranking. The first is the total number of points obtained and the following seven apply to the different scenarios in case of a tie.
Know:
a) greater number of points achieved in all games;
b) greater difference between goals scored and goals conceded in all matches;
c) greater number of goals scored in all matches (example: for example, if two teams have a positive balance of two goals, the one with the most goals scored is ahead.
If none of these criteria are sufficient, move on to the other five.
d) greater number of points obtained in the match(s) between the teams with a tie;
e) higher goal difference as a result of matches between tied teams;
f) greater number of goals scored in all matches between the teams with a tie;
g) disciplinary criteria. A yellow card is worth one point; a disqualification for accumulation of yellows deducts three points; a straight red deducts four points; a yellow card followed by a red card deducts 5 points. The team that has the most points (not to be confused with more negative points) ends first.
If none of the above criteria pass, it’s a coin toss… or almost. It will be a draw held by FIFA to choose the team that goes through.
Source: DN
