2022 World Cup: South Korea coach Paulo Bento tips Portugal and Uruguay to qualify from Ghana’s group

South Korea coach Paulo Bento believes Portugal and Uruguay are clear favourites to qualify to the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament to be staged in Qatar.

The biggest soccer mundial will be staged in the Asian country between November and December where 32 countries will battle it out for the covetous trophy.

The Asian giants were paired against Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana in a draw held in Doha, Qatar last week.

According to Bento, Uruguay and Portugal have a high chance of advancing to the round of 16 of the mundial.

“You have to fight very well with a fighting spirit to get to the round of 16.”

“Portugal and Uruguay are the teams that have a high chance of advancing to the round of 16 in Group H,” he said, emphasizing that players should enter the finals with a ‘fighting spirit’.

Since taking office in August 2018, Bento has played 43 games and has maintained a record of 28 wins (10 draws, 5 losses) and an unbeaten streak at home (20 wins), the most in a single tenure as the national team’s head coach. As he has continued his stable race for the past four years, expectations for the round of 16 are also high.