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Portugal fans are unhappy with Fernando Santos' decision to bench Diogo Dalot for their opening 2022 FIFA World Cup game against Ghana today (November 24).
Manager Fernando Santos has named Joao Cancelo as the right-back instead of Dalot against Ghana. Ruben Dias, Danilo Pereira, and Raphael Guerreiro have also started in defense for the 2016 UEFA Euro champions.
Fans were gutted to see Dalot left out as the full-back has been in tremendous form for his club and country in recent times.
He has played 20 games for Manchester United across all competitions this season, starting all of them. Hence, it's understandable why fans wanted to see the reliable defender in the lineup against Ghana as well.
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Many fans have implied that Santos has made a big mistake and it could harm his team's chances of winning the opening clash of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter:
Portugal manager Fernando Santos assessed Ghana as opponents ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Portugal manager Fernando Santos spoke about the importance of the Ghana game at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He told the media (via PortuGOAL):
“Winning a tournament like this is extremely difficult for any team, for any country. You only need look at these first few games to see that clearly. I was watching the Croatia-Morocco game just now, and you see very even contests. That’s because most of the players are in the same leagues."
He added:
"Against Ghana, for instance, two or three of their players are adversaries of Bruno [Fernandes, who was sitting alongside Santos] in the same championship. They play for big teams and are used to the tactical issues at play. In the past you would see a difference, but nowadays you don’t, especially as all the coaches are of an extremely high level."
Santos complimented Ghana for their talent and improvement and claimed that it will be a tough game for Portugal. He said:
“We are prepared for opponents that will cause us a lot of problems. Ghana are a very well organised team. Their game against Switzerland showed that. African teams have a lot of talent, unpredictability, and are always improving tactically."
He added:
"Today they are much more complete teams. Portugal have played African teams in the last three World Cups and they have always been very tough games.”
Uruguay and South Korea played out a goalless draw earlier today. Hence, Portugal can gain a major advantage in Group H of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by beating Ghana.
