Neymar says all the hard work paid off as he recovered from injury to play a big part in Brazil's sublime 4-1 win over South Korea in Monday's World Cup last-16 tie.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar missed Brazil's final two group games after sustaining an ankle injury late on in the opening 2-0 win over Serbia on November 24.

However, the 30-year-old was deemed fit enough to play 81 minutes of the one-sided contest with South Korea and scored the second of his side's goals at Stadium 974.

Neymar admits he feared the worst when suffering the injury 11 days ago and is glad to now be back on the field playing – and scoring – again.

"I was very scared," he said in his post-match interview. "I was doing well after a positive start to the season, so suffering an injury like the one I had was very hard.

"I spent the night crying a lot. But everything worked out in the end; the effort was worth it. All suffering is valid.

"I'd like to thank god for the strength I've been given to be back on the pitch, to be able to train and do everything I needed to be on the pitch again.

"Thanks also to the physios, my colleagues and those who have encouraged me over the last days. I'm happy to be back on the pitch and playing well."

Asked if he felt any pain prior to being replaced by Rodrygo, Neymar said: "No I didn't feel anything. I was very content with my performance, but that said we can always improve.

"I can't be 100 per cent satisfied. I've been given the man of the match award today but it's for everyone. I'm really happy with the performance of the side."

With his early penalty, Neymar became the third Brazil player to score at three editions of the World Cup (2014, 2018 and 2022) alongside Pele and Ronaldo.

Each of the forward's past six Brazil goals have come via the penalty spot and he now has 76 goals for his country – just one short of all-time scorer Pele.

Vinicius Junior had earlier given Brazil the lead, while Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta were also on target inside the opening 36 minutes.

It is just the second time in their World Cup history Brazil have scored four goals in the first half of a match, previously doing so against Mexico in 1954.

Having toiled in wins over Serbia and Switzerland, before losing to Cameroon when heavily rotating, Brazil laid down a marker with their superb showing against South Korea.

The five-time world champions, who have advanced from their past eight last-16 ties, will face Croatia following the 2018 beaten finalists' earlier penalty shoot-out win over Japan.

"We have to plan to go further," Neymar said. "We are dreaming of the title, but we will take it step by step.

"This was our fourth game today and there are three more to go. We are very prepared and focused on getting this title."

Brazil paid tribute to legendary forward Pele following a commanding 4-1 victory over South Korea that sealed their World Cup quarter-final place.

Vinicius Junior, Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta were all on target at Stadium 974 as Tite's side cruised through to the last eight in Qatar, where they will face Croatia on Friday. 

A message posted from his Twitter account earlier in the day revealed Pele would be watching the match from his hospital bed, where he was moved to last Tuesday.

The Selecao responded after the full-time whistle by parading a banner on the pitch with a picture of the three-time World Cup winner. 

Amid unconfirmed reports he had been moved to palliative care after failing to respond to chemotherapy treatment, the hospital housing the 82-year-old described his condition as "stable."

Pele moved to ease fears surrounding his health with a post to his Instagram account on Saturday, saying he remained "strong, with a lot of hope."

Brazil produced the best display of Qatar 2022 so far with an emphatic 4-1 victory over South Korea at Stadium 974 on Monday to set up a quarter-final tie with Croatia.

The Selecao were four goals up inside 36 minutes – only the second time in their World Cup history they have scored four times in the first half of a match – in a one-sided tie.

Neymar returned to Brazil's line-up – back to full strength after their 1-0 loss to Cameroon – and he netted from the penalty spot after Vinicius Junior had opened the scoring.

Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta put the game well out of reach and there was no way back for South Korea, though they did have a moment so savour courtesy of Paik Seung-ho's goal in the second half.

Raphinha pulled the ball back for Vinicius to curl into the top-right corner after seven minutes and Brazil had a quickfire second goal when Neymar converted from the penalty spot.

Richarlison won that penalty after being caught by Jung Woo-young, and he was himself among the goals when finishing after Thiago Silva picked him out with a first-time pass.

Brazil were completely out of sight by the interval as Paqueta rounded off another fine attack that culminated in Vinicius clipping the ball into his path to volley home.

A double change at the interval led to an improved display from South Korea, who after forcing Alisson into a few saves scored through a long-range Paik strike that took a deflection.

What does it mean? Samba stars put on a show

Brazil toiled for large parts of their wins over Serbia and Switzerland prior to suffering a shock defeat to Cameroon, but back at full strength here they laid down a real marker.

South Korea's first knockout-stage game in this competition since 2010 could not have gone much worse, with Tite's men out of sight well before half-time.

Five-time winners Brazil have advanced from their past eight World Cup last-16 ties and will now face 2018 beaten finalists Croatia, who earlier defeated Japan on penalties.

Brazil find their scoring touch

Brazil scored a rather underwhelming three goals from 57 shots in the group stage, compared to three goals from their first five efforts against South Korea.

The Selecao were a lot more clinical than they were in the first round, though their opponents' set-up also played right into their hands – a mistake Croatia will surely not make.

Returning Neymar back among the goals

Neymar was back in the side after missing the past two games through injury and he registered his 76th goal for Brazil, placing him one short of Pele's all-time record.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar, whose past six goals for the Selecao have come from the penalty spot, will look to match and surpass the Brazil great in Qatar.

What's next?

Brazil have that quarter-final tie with Croatia to look forward to in Al Rayyan on Friday, while South Korea's campaign in Qatar is now over.

Pele will watch Brazil's World Cup last-16 tie against South Korea from hospital, according to a message posted to his social media accounts.

The three-time World Cup winner was hospitalised last Tuesday, though his daughter subsequently said there was "no surprise or emergency" pertaining to his condition.

Amid unconfirmed reports Pele had been moved to palliative care after failing to respond to chemotherapy treatment, the hospital housing the 82-year-old described his condition as "stable".

Pele moved to ease fears surrounding his health with a post to his Instagram account on Saturday, saying he remained "strong, with a lot of hope".

A message posted from the legendary forward's Twitter account has now revealed he will be watching on when Tite's side face South Korea at Stadium 974 on Monday. 

"In 1958, I walked the streets thinking about fulfilling the promise I made to my father," the message began.

"I know that today many have made similar promises and are also going in search of their first World Cup.

"I will be watching the game from the hospital and I will be rooting hard for each one of you. Good luck!"

Pele inspired Brazil to their first World Cup triumph in 1958, becoming the youngest player to score in the tournament's final at the age of just 17 years and 249 days.

The Selecao great also shone as Brazil won two of the next three editions of the World Cup, with his total of six assists at Mexico 1970 remaining a single-tournament record.

Brazil coach Tite has slammed the "haters" spreading "evil lies" and "fake news" about Gabriel Jesus' injury.

Arsenal forward Jesus, along with Sevilla defender Alex Telles, will miss the rest of the World Cup with a knee injury sustained in Friday's defeat to Cameroon.

Reports from Brazil are now claiming the 25-year-old – who has been crucial to Arsenal's form this season – could miss up to three months.

There have also been rumours that Jesus initially suffered a problem before playing in the Cameroon game, but Tite strongly denied these claims in a venomous rebuttal in his press conference ahead of Monday's last-16 tie with South Korea.

"I don't like hearing lies, evil lies, those [come from] the people who want to do bad things for others," Tite said.

"At no time whatsoever do we play for victory at the risk of peril for a player, so the liars that are out there, the haters, who keep giving hate, go and do something else and stop giving fake news.

" Arsenal have a great medical department, we have a great medical department. We are responsible, ethical.

"It's a shame, very sorry for Gabriel. [On Saturday] we had Neymar, Thiago [Silva] and Marquinhos chatting with him and then Telles.

"We then added [assistant coach] Cesar [Sampaio] who has also had this experience. It was not to take the pain away but just to make them feel better, strengthen them and for them to be able to participate as much as possible."

Sampaio, who featured at the 1998 World Cup for Brazil, added: "At no moment were we made aware of an injury. We will never put health at risk for a result.

"Injury is difficult in an athlete's career, regardless of when it happens. We feel fragile when we cannot do what we love, especially at a World Cup.

"We spent time to give them support, we do not know what we have ahead of us but regardless of not being with us physically, they are with this team."

On the positive side for Brazil, Neymar will be fit to feature against South Korea should he come through Sunday's training session without any issues, while Danilo is also available.

Gabriel Jesus and Alex Telles will not recover from knee injuries in time to play again at the 2022 World Cup, Brazil confirmed on Saturday.

The pair had each been substituted in Friday's defeat to Cameroon, with team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirming afterwards they would have scans the following day.

Brazil have already been playing without Neymar, Danilo and Alex Sandro due to injuries, and their latest two setbacks are significant.

Reports in Brazil on Saturday had suggested Jesus would miss a month and Telles was potentially facing surgery, also representing blows to Arsenal and Sevilla.

A statement from the CBF subsequently confirmed neither would feature for the remainder of the World Cup.

"As announced by the CBF after the game against Cameroon, players Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus underwent tests this Saturday morning," the statement read.

"Accompanied by the doctor of the Brazilian team, Rodrigo Lasmar, they performed an MRI on the right knee that confirmed the injuries and the impossibility of recovery in time to participate in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

"The coordinator of the Brazilian national team, Juninho Paulista, is in contact with the sports directors of Arsenal and Sevilla to define whether Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus remain with the squad in Doha for continuity of treatment or if they return to their clubs."

While Jesus was set to play only as Richarlison's back-up in the knockout stage, Telles could have been in line for a prominent role.

Alex Sandro is the only other natural left-back in the squad and is uncertain to return in time for the last-16 match against South Korea.

Brazil are at least more optimistic on the status of versatile right-back Danilo, who was set to return to full training on Saturday.

Brazil's defeat to Cameroon is "a warning signal" they must heed ahead of the World Cup knockout rounds, says Dani Alves.

The Selecao fielded a much-changed side in their final Group G match, with progression to the last 16 already secured.

But a late Vincent Aboubakar finish condemned Tite's side to a shock 1-0 loss in Lusail, to check Brazil's momentum heading forward.

With a last-16 tie against South Korea now confirmed, veteran defender Alves - who skippered his nation against Cameroon - believes it is a reminder that there is no safety net now for his side.

"It's a warning signal," he said. "There is no weak rival. Here is the lesson, we need to stay switched on throughout the game. One detail and it's over.

"We end today with the feeling that a beautiful day slipped through the hands of us players who weren't playing much."

Brazil arrived at Qatar 2022 as the pre-tournament favourites, a record enhanced after two strong opening performances against Switzerland and Serbia prior to the defeat to Cameroon.

Despite the likes of Germany, Belgium and Uruguay tumbling out of the competition, Brazil face a difficult path to the final should they get past South Korea, with Argentina and the Netherlands among their potential semi-final opponents.

Tite warned Brazil must be "very careful" in the knockout stage of the World Cup, when they will hope to have Neymar back from injury.

The Selecao lost 1-0 to Cameroon on Friday but still topped Group G, meaning they will face South Korea in the second round, rather than Portugal.

Spain's defeat the previous day appeared to open up the draw further for Brazil, who would now play the winner of Japan's clash with Croatia in the quarter-finals.

Regardless of their opponents, Brazil will feel more comfortable once Neymar is back in action, but he has not yet trained with a ball following his matchday one injury.

Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar added: "With 72 hours before the next match, we have time on our side. We still have possibilities."

With or without his star man, coach Tite certainly will not become complacent, explaining: "Brazil lost to Cameroon. Portugal lost to South Korea. France lost to Tunisia. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. I think the results speak for themselves.

"I think these are very strong, very tough matches. I don't think we can think any prior situation makes it easy. We need to be very careful.

"We were very careful with the match against Cameroon. We were. We had all of those cares, we took them. They had their merits, played vertically very well. They have merit for the victory like Tunisia and the others.

"We can't say it's easier and we have an advantage. We can't say that."

Tite had made nine changes to his Brazil team, selecting an entirely different XI to that which started their finals opener.

But he said: "Who lost? All of us. Our preparation is joint preparation, our wins are joint wins, our losses are also joint losses."

The coach called on Brazil to "feel the loss", saying: "The World Cup doesn't give you a second chance, but this time it did.

"We have to concentrate for 24 hours, suffer for 24 hours, and tomorrow we start getting ready."

Besides Neymar's progress, there was mixed news on the injury front, with Alex Sandro still recovering alongside the forward but Danilo set to train normally on Saturday.

That is a timely boost as Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus are set for scans on knee injuries sustained against Cameroon.

Otto Addo insists Ghana took no comfort from seeing rivals Uruguay join them in making an early exit from the World Cup after Friday's dramatic Group H finale.

Ghana and Uruguay both harboured hopes of reaching the last 16 ahead of Friday's game, which represented the teams' first meeting since La Celeste claimed a famous World Cup quarter-final win in 2010, when Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty after Luis Suarez saw red for a goal-line handball.

Giorgian de Arrascaeta's brace helped Uruguay to a 2-0 victory, but South Korea's last-gasp 2-1 win over Portugal in the group's other game ensured Paulo Bento's team clinched second place.

After the match, Daniel Amartey suggested to reporters that Ghana became determined to take Uruguay out of the tournament with them once South Korea went ahead. 

Addo, however, insisted any animosity between the teams did not influence Ghana's approach, saying: "I don't know who said it, but nobody told them what the [South Korea] score was.

"I don't know how they would know. For us, it was about trying to score. As a coach for more than 12 years, I have had games where we led 3-0 and lost 4-3. Anything can happen. 

"I don't think anyone was thinking about this, but I definitely wasn't. Everyone saw wild games with goals in the last minutes. We just wanted to equalise, which would have gotten us through."

Asked whether his players were motivated by a desire to avenge the 2010 defeat, Addo responded: "What hurts the most is that we're out. 

"I know the public sought revenge but I don't think this way, and I told the players they should not as well. 

"I am a strong believer that if you do not seek revenge, you will get more blessings. If it was not Uruguay, we would have tried against another team. 

"It was not important. We were prepared, but today the luck was not on our side. We could have prevented both goals, this is where we have to learn.

"Sometimes you are so close to taking one step further, but then you concede and it gets into your mind. To come back out of this is very difficult. 

"We did it against South Korea but today we couldn't do it, the second goal came way too early. 

"We created a lot of chances, at the end we could have conceded a third goal. I believed until the end that we could score."

While Ghana have failed to progress beyond the group stage at their last two World Cups (2014 and 2022), Uruguay have fallen at the first hurdle for the first time since doing so in 2002.

Cristiano Ronaldo appeared dissatisfied when he was substituted in Portugal's World Cup defeat to South Korea, though he indicated it had more do with the actions of an opponent than Fernando Santos' decision.

Ronaldo was withdrawn in the 65th minute and replaced by Andre Silva with the scores level at 1-1 in the Group H finale.

Hwang Hee-chan's injury-time winner gave South Korea a 2-1 win to seal their progression to the last 16 alongside Portugal.

With Ronaldo having long since exited the stage, Portugal were unable to rescue anything from the game, with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star urging his team-mates to learn from their poor performance.

He said of his reaction while leaving the field: "What happened was that before my departure, [a] Korean player told me to leave quickly. I told him to shut up.

"He is not the authority, he does not have to give his opinion, he would speed up the step if he were the referee. But there doesn't have to be any controversy.

"It's the heat of the game. Regardless of what happened, things stay on the field. We have to be united, we are in the next phase. All Portuguese have to be confident because we really want to progress.

"We knew in advance that we were qualified, there had to be almost a miracle for us not to progress [in] first. But I don't want to justify myself with that.

"We have to learn from these lessons when we don't play well. I hope we can learn from this defeat and we have to win the next game."

Santos added of Portugal's showing: "It's a disappointment. We did good things, but then we alternated with the least good. But it can be a warning. It can be a warning."

Portugal will face the runners-up of Group G in the last 16 next Tuesday.

Fernando Santos has no issues with rotating his squad in Portugal's final Group H match against South Korea.

Portugal's place in the knockout stage of the World Cup was assured when they beat Uruguay 2-0 on Monday.

While top spot in the group is not secured ahead of the meeting with Korea at Education City Stadium, Portugal's goal difference (+3) puts them in prime position to go through as winners.

Santos suggested he will make the changes, but he believes utilising more of his 26-man squad is the only way his team will develop.

"We must continue to grow. To me the most important thing is the confidence I have in all of my players, I trust all of them," he said at a press conference on Thursday.

"We have at least three who will definitely play. As for the others, we will have to see.

"The players are in great shape, but we have begun to see fatigue, which can lead to injuries. We have another player who is somewhat fatigued and we'll have to look into that, but we also have to deal with the bookings we have got. 

"I'm very confident about who I'll be putting on the pitch. We have to understand for every match we have to make these decisions and I have to play the team I am most confident in regardless of previous results."

Asked if Ronaldo, who thought he had scored a 119th international goal when he tried to nudge home Bruno Fernandes' cross against Uruguay, would feature, Santos replied: "If he is well enough physically, he will be playing.

"I don't know if the chance is even 50-50, it depends on our training session. It depends if nothing happens and he will be able to play."

Winning the group would mean Portugal are likely to avoid a last-16 tie with Brazil, who look set to claim first place in Group G.

Santos is less concerned about the prospect of facing Brazil than he is about having fewer days in-between matches, however, as winning the group would mean Portugal play their last-16 match on Tuesday rather than Monday.

"At this stage, in terms of not running into Brazil – we're not really concerned about that at this point," Santos explained.

"When you come to a World Cup you strive to achieve something very important, so it's much more important to have at least 24 hours for the players to recover.

"I hope they will all be ready to play but if it's difficult to be in the best shape after four days, then after three days it's even more difficult."

It often feels like football works in cycles.

A few months beyond 20 years since a crunch group tie at the World Cup, South Korea and Portugal are ready to do it all again.

The Selecao are already through after two wins from two against Ghana and Uruguay, and barring a three-goal turnaround, their progression will come as group winners.

Head coach Fernando Santos could decide to rotate, but then again, perhaps the smell of revenge will be enough for him to go full strength once more.

The only previous meeting between South Korea and Portugal came at the 2002 World Cup, which South Korea won 1-0 on home soil in the final game of the group stage, a result that eliminated Portugal from the tournament.

This time it will be all or nothing for South Korea with only a win being enough, while also needing Uruguay to narrowly beat Ghana.

Paulo Bento's men have lost five of their last seven World Cup matches (W1 D1), as many as they had in their previous 16 (W5 D6), and are looking to win their third group game for just the third time at the tournament, previously doing so against Portugal in 2002, as mentioned, and in 2018 against Germany.

The first goal will be especially important as Portugal are yet to lose a match at the World Cup when they have scored first (P18 W15 D3), doing so without losing more than any other nation in tournament history.

Bento will not be present for the game after receiving a red card at the end of the 3-2 defeat to Ghana, furiously reacting to referee Anthony Taylor's decision to blow the full-time whistle after his team had won a corner.

"We shall continue to prepare in same way as other matches – our strategy will not fail," his assistant Sergio Costa said after that game. "He won't be present on the matchday, which is a loss because Paulo is obviously a great manager, but I think it will bring us together."

The irony being that Bento played for Portugal in that 2002 humiliation against South Korea. In fact it turned out to be his final game for the national side, before returning as head coach between 2010 and 2014.

Portugal, meanwhile, are looking to win all three group-stage matches for just a third time, also doing so in 1966 and 2006.

If Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. can do so while also ending South Korea's tournament, there will likely be a sense of payback to go with it.
 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

South Korea – Son Heung-min

Son was always going to be the main man for his country, but so far the Tottenham attacker has been unable to show his true worth in Qatar.

He has been a generational talent for his country, though. Since the start of the 2010-11 campaign, Son has scored more goals in Europe's top five leagues than any other South Korea player (137).

Son also had the most shots (40), shots on target (19), scored the most goals (5) and created the most chances (27) of any player for South Korea during qualifying.

Portugal – Bruno Fernandes

While most eyes have been on Ronaldo, as ever, his former Manchester United team-mate has been the real MVP of the World Cup for his country so far.

Fernandes has been involved in four of Portugal's five goals (two goals, two assists), and is only the second player this century to have registered multiple goals and assists in a team's first two group-stage matches, after Karim Benzema for France in 2014.

He also created 21 chances in qualifying, more than any other Portuguese player.

PREDICTION

Portugal lack a desperate need for a result in terms of winning the group, and the Opta prediction model does not have them as overwhelming favourites, though Santos' men are still expected to win with a victory chance percentage of 58.4.

The draw, which like a Portugal win is of no use either to South Korea's hopes, is rated at 22.3 per cent, while that all important victory for the Taegeuk Warriors is given a 19.3 per cent chance.

Unity will likely be key if Ghana are to avoid an early elimination from the World Cup, though that is seemingly an area upcoming opponents South Korea are aiming to exploit.

The Black Stars put up a good fight as they lost 3-2 to Portugal, almost rescuing a commendable point only to see Inaki Williams slip at the vital moment after stealing the ball off goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

As such, defeat at Education City on Monday will see Ghana exit at the group stage in consecutive appearances at the World Cup (also in 2014) after reaching the knockout rounds in both of their first two (2006 and 2010).

But Ghana coach Otto Addo retains a positive outlook.

Granted, his optimism is based partly on Portugal doing Ghana a favour against Uruguay, but Addo sees a real possibility of the Black Stars sitting second in Group H heading into the final game of the first stage.

Asked if he was confident Ghana could still reach the last 16, Addo said: "First of all, certainly, we have a chance, especially because [South Korea and Uruguay] played a draw.

"If we win against South Korea and Portugal wins, hopefully, against Uruguay, then we will be second, so the chance is still great.

"For sure, it will be very, very tough to beat South Korea because they are good, but now we have to win. We are under pressure, but they are too."

Ghana have not won any of their past five World Cup matches but they rarely fail to score, having netted at least once in six successive games at the tournament – Nigeria (eight) are the only African team to better that streak.

With that in mind, South Korea will probably need to improve on their run of not scoring in three of their past five World Cup outings if they are to prevail on Monday.

On top of that, they have failed to get a single shot on target in two of their most recent four fixtures at the tournament, and that includes the stalemate with Uruguay when they looked somewhat toothless.

However, Paulo Bento's men seem to feel there will be an element of Ghana not helping themselves.

Midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong said: "They are a fast team, but if we can take advantage of space behind their defence, I think we should have some opportunities.

"They didn't seem to have such great team work. We played well in our first match and we'll try to build on that against Ghana."

Fellow midfielder Song Min-kyu did not question Ghana's work ethic, though he picked up on a similar theme with regards to exploiting the Black Star's backline.

"They have some speedy and physical players with good skills. We know we have to be prepared against them.

"But we also saw that they had some holes behind their defense, and we should try to exploit that extra space."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

South Korea – Lee Kang-in

Son Heung-min is, of course, South Korea's star. He will undoubtedly be expected to lead from the front, but he was ineffective against Portugal, managing just a single shot.

Lee had some bright moments off the bench and ended up recording two key passes, a figure bettered by none of his team-mates. It is unclear if he will come into the starting XI, but he certainly has the ability to influence proceedings off the bench.

Ghana – Thomas Partey

Arsenal midfielder Partey showed how important he is to Ghana in the defeat to Portugal. Perhaps not known as a creator, he laid on two chances to team-mates in that game, a joint-high for Addo's side.

But on top of that, he had the most touches (68), successful passes (47) and tackles (four) in the Ghana team. If they do beat South Korea, he will surely have played a vital role.

PREDICTION

With a 40.9 per cent chance of winning, South Korea go into this as the favourites according to Stats Perform data. However, the win probability calculator suggests it could be a very tight affair.

The likelihood of a Ghana win sits at 31.3 per cent, meaning they have every right to feel they can leave with the three points – though a draw looks almost as likely (27.8 per cent).

Ghana coach Otto Addo always anticipated Son Heung-min would go on to have a great career, as he hailed the South Korea captain's character and discipline.

Korea face Ghana in their second World Cup Group H match on Monday.

While Korea drew 0-0 with Uruguay, in a game that saw only one shot on target, Ghana lost 3-2 to Portugal in a thriller at Stadium 974.

Son recovered from an eye injury to feature in Korea's opening game in Qatar, though the Tottenham forward is having to wear a protective facemask.

And Addo, who worked with Son during his stint as a coach of Hamburg's youth team between 2009 and 2015, said he identified the attacker's potential early on.

"We will try to stop every attacker. We did it well against Portugal, mostly," Addo said in a press conference on Sunday.

"Son is a very good player, operates between the lines and has a very good shot. I had the pleasure to have him [when I was] under-19 coach at Hamburg.

"Very good character, he's hard working, I really like his character, he is very, very disciplined, he became so good because he worked so hard for it.

"This is what I hope for him, and expected. You can't predict everything, especially in youth players but I saw something in him, so I proposed him to the first team squad.

"For sure, he did well there and has had a great career. I always wish him all the best, except for tomorrow.

"I am happy for him that he's healthy again, or that he can play at least. We will stop him together as a team. This is what we tried to do against Portugal. It’s always about closing gaps, closing spaces and we do that together as a team."

Defeat at Education City Stadium would condemn Ghana to an early exit, though a victory might lift them as high as second in the group by the end of the day, depending on the outcome of Portugal's meeting with Uruguay.

Korea would move top of Group H with a win, and coach Paulo Bento is confident Son, who had just one attempt in the draw with Uruguay, will be fully firing.

"Because he was recently injured and he was also adapting, trying to get used to wearing the mask," Bento said of Son's performance against Uruguay.

"He needed to feel at ease with his team-mates and the opponents. From his viewpoint, I think the second game will be different, he's been able to play 90 minutes."

South Korea coach Paulo Bento was pleased with his side’s performance in their goalless draw with Uruguay and urged supporters not to focus too much on the fitness of star striker Son Heung-min.

Tottenham forward Son’s availability was in doubt until just before kick-off due to a fractured eye socket sustained earlier this month but – aided by a facemask – he played the full game, producing occasional flashes in a largely subdued display.

His ineffectiveness was replicated by the other attacking stars on show – Uruguay’s strikeforce of Darwin Nunez and Luis Suarez also failing to make any meaningful impact in a drab encounter in World Cup Group H.

Uruguay came closest to finding a winner with both Diego Godin and Federico Valverde hitting the woodwork, the latter in the closing minutes.

Of Son, Bento said: "Son is a player that up until his injury had continuous rhythm. And then, in one of the last games in the Champions League, he had a serious injury and was inactive for a long period of time. He was only reintegrated in the last few days.

"After the injury, it’s natural that it will take him some time to re-adapt.

"But overall, I thought our team had a good performance and we focus too much on one player. We, as coaches, value all the elements of the team."

Bento was particularly pleased that his side were able to match Uruguay’s levels of aggression, adding: "That was definitely one of the positives. We knew our opponent played intense football and we needed to up our game and we managed to do that in the first half, in particular.

"Of course, our performance diminished in the second half, but we tried to maintain that level of aggression."

Uruguay boss Diego Alonso fended off criticism of his team’s cautious approach, pointing out his starting XI was full of attacking intent.

"We had three forwards on the pitch, three midfielders that score goals and full-backs that like to get forward," he said.

"In the first 20 minutes, we could not pressure South Korea and we had to adjust. After that, the second half was different and we were better. I liked a lot of things the players did."

Valverde was named man of the match for a typically all-action display but felt Uruguay left it too late to find their rhythm.

The Real Madrid midfielder said: "In the first half, South Korea moved the ball very well and we struggled to put any pressure on them. In the second half, we played very well although there were too many balls passed backwards by the midfielders, including me, when we should’ve brought it forward.

"Towards the end, we played in a courageous way and played our football, creating chances. You have to take your chances but, unfortunately, we didn’t score."