Brazil begin World Cup bid as Ronaldo, Portugal for tough Ghana tie

Brazil kickstarts their World Cup campaign when they take on Serbia in their Group G opener, while Cristiano Ronaldo will lead Portugal when they face Ghana on Thursday.

Brazil will be careful when they play Serbia at Lusail Stadium because Serbia is a dangerous team. This is especially true after seeing Argentina lose to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and Germany lose to Japan on Wednesday at the same stadium.

The Brazilians came to Qatar hoping to win their fifth World Cup title like they did in Japan 20 years ago, when the last World Cup was held in Asia.

Neymar has been in menacing form for Paris Saint-Germain, but the world’s most expensive player is surrounded by other outstanding attackers willing to share the load, such as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo of Real Madrid.

“In my opinion these players will help Neymar because they can divide up the responsibility and create space for him,” said veteran Brazil skipper Thiago Silva.

“The atmosphere in the squad is super healthy. The mixture of young players and more experienced ones creates a great connection,” he added.

Ronaldo’s bitter split with Manchester United has made it hard for him to get ready for what will likely be his last World Cup.

The 37-year-old player said in an interview with a British TV station that he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag. It was announced late Tuesday that he would leave United “immediately.”

Even though he hasn’t played well for his club team this season, he is still hoping for one last shot at World Cup glory. Portugal is expected to win their first game against Ghana, who is ranked 61st by FIFA, at Doha’s Stadium 974.

Fernando Santos, who is in charge of Portugal, said that the players had not talked about Ronaldo leaving United.

“The players are absolutely focused, with a great spirit, convinced about what they have to do, what their objectives are and realistic about the challenges they are facing,” Santos said.

“Winning a competition of this magnitude is difficult.”