Bento Team's Group H Opponents Arrive One by One... Heating Up in Doha, Qatar

The Portugal national football team, South Korea's opponent in the third group stage match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, entered the team's accommodation, the Al Samriya Autograph Collection Hotel in Doha, on the morning of the 19th (local time), escorted by police amid enthusiastic cheers from football fans. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Our national soccer team’s opponents in the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage have been arriving one by one in Doha, Qatar, signaling that the competition in Group H is about to heat up in earnest.

The first team to enter Doha, Qatar, was ours. Led by head coach Paulo Bento, the national team arrived in Qatar on the 14th and is currently in intensive training. Before entering Qatar, our team focused solely on training after their final friendly match against Iceland on the 11th (1-0 win), preparing for the group stage competition. The team is staying at the Le Meridien City Center Hotel in downtown Doha and has made the Al Egla Training Ground their base camp.

On the 16th, captain and star player Son Heung-min (Tottenham) joined the team, completing the 'full squad' and accelerating preparations for the matches.

Ghana, our second opponent, landed in Qatar on the 18th. Amid warm welcomes from their home fans, Ghana settled at the Al Sadd DoubleTree by Hilton hotel and uses the Aspire Zone Training Ground.

Ghana showed formidable strength by winning 2-0 against Switzerland in a friendly match held on the 17th in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Late on the 18th, Portugal, the third opponent in the group stage, arrived in Doha, Qatar. Despite arriving at midnight, Portugal was greeted by crowds of fans lining the entrance and checked into the Al Samriya Autograph Collection Hotel in Al Shahaniya, on the outskirts of Doha. They train at the Al Shahaniya SC Training Ground.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Portugal, the homeland of coach Bento, demonstrated their credentials as the top contender in Group H by winning 4-0 against Nigeria in their final friendly match held on the 17th in Lisbon. World-renowned striker Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) did not participate in the match due to symptoms of gastroenteritis. Nevertheless, Portugal displayed well-organized attacking prowess that drew attention.

Uruguay, which conducted its final training in the UAE, will arrive on the 19th. Featuring a blend of old and new stars such as Luis Su?rez (Nacional) and Darwin N??ez (Liverpool), Uruguay has not played any official A matches since the two friendlies during the September international window against Iran (0-1 loss) and Canada (2-0 win), focusing on preparation for the World Cup finals.

Uruguay will stay at the Pullman Doha West Bay Hotel and prepare for their first match against Korea at the Al Ersal Training Ground.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.