Join Abhay Puri for the latest from the crucial Group G encounter between the North Koreans and Portugal, LIVE.
Good evening all, and welcome to our coverage of today's first game, as the Portuguese take on DPRK. Kick-off is in about half an hour, until then, be sure to check out all of our pre-game news and analysis.
Here are the starting line ups -
Portugal: 1-Eduardo; 13-Miguel, 2-Bruno Alves, 6-Ricardo Carvalho, 23-Fabio Coentrao, 16-Raul Meireles, 8-Pedro Mendes, 19-Tiago, 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 11-Simao Sabrosa, 18-Hugo Almeida.
North Korea: 1-Ri Myong-guk; 5-Ri Kwang-chon, 2-Cha Jong-hyok, 13-Pak Chol-jin, 3-Ri Jun-il, 8-Ji Yun-nam, 11-Mun In-guk, 17-An Yong-hak, 4-Pak Nam-chol, 10-Hong Yong-jo, 9-Jong Tae-se.
Referee - Pablo Pozo (Chile)
North Korea maintain, as expected, a very defensive shape. Portugal have made 3 changes to the side that drew with Cote D'Ivoire - Deco is replaced by Tiago, Paolo Ferreira by Miguel and up front, Liedson loses his place to Hugo Almeida.
This is the first encounter between this sides in 44 years, since Portugal came back from 3-0 down to win 5-3 at the 1966 World Cup thanks to some heroics from Eusebio.
We will be live as soon as the game kicks off, so be sure to refresh this page every few minutes to get the latest updates.
The national anthems are blaring, and the teams are out on the pitch with kick off in just a couple of moments. This should be a thrilling encounter, so don't go anywhere...
And we're off! Portugal, all in red, kick us off against Korea DPR, who are all in white. Both teams have started rather scrappily here, misplacing passes and falling over on what looks to be a slippery surface.
2 min - After both sides lose the ball to poor passes, Meireles finds Ronaldo in the center of the North Korean half. He skips past his marker and then hits a low, swerving shot that is collected by the Korean keeper Ri Myong Guk without too much trouble.
4 min - Portugal have started promisingly. Carvalho made an impressive run out of defence before playing it wide to Ronaldo, who picked out the overlapping run of Meireles. His cross into the center was not cleared, and found Carvalho, but he thumped it miles over the bar.
6 min - This game has been really open so far, contrary to what many expected. Portugal win a corner after a quick break from Hugo Almeida and Simao, and the delivery is good. Carvalho finds space for an open header that crashes against the post and out again. Very, very close.
9 min - North Korea create a pretty good chance after maintaining some possession in Portugal's half. Cha Jong Hyok, receiving a pass in the center, just outside the box, unleashes a powerful first-time shot that goes just wide of Eduardo's post. This has started very nicely.
12 min - Almeida takes a shot from distance. It was a bad idea. The rain is pouring down now in Cape Town.
14 min - After a nice passing move, Hong Yong Jo dinks a great ball over the top for Jong Tae Se, but he is unable to control and its zips past to Eduardo. If he had gotten a better first touch on that, it could well have been a goal.
16 min - This has been an enthralling episode so far. The Koreans certainly fancy this, and are far less defensive than they were against the Brazilians. After receiving a great pass on the right wing, Jong Tae Se plays in a powerful shot/cross that is fisted away by Eduardo, but only as far as the head of Pak Nam Chol, who nods it over the bar.
19 min - Simao, Miguel and Raul Meireles combine very well down the right, and Meirelas could have been in after a great ball, but his last touch was a tad too heavy and the ball rolls out for a goal kick.
21 min - An Yong Hak takes a driven shot from distance that is just wide of the post, after some neat passing play again from the Koreans. Then, at the other end, Cristiano Ronaldo wins a corner on the left after a good run. The delivery is poor, but it is played back in after a clearance and Jong Hyok gets an absolutely crucial touch that ensures Almeida could not get on the end of that one.
23 min - All the players are soaked now, as the rain continues to pour down, and it seems to have inspired the Koreans into shooting everytime they get a sight of goal. This time its Hong Yong Jo whose effort goes over the bar.
25 min - Great chance for the Portuguese there. Coentrao makes a wonderful run down the left and plays in a fizzing, low cross that just goes past Simao and is tapped away. There have been 14 attempts on goal already, but not too many of them have tested the keepers as yet.
GOAL!!! Portugal 1-0 North Korea (Raul Meireles 29')
The Portuguese have scored! Great move there - Tiago put in a wonderful through ball that caught the Koreans out of sorts, and found the onrushing Raul Meireles in the box. Meireles took a touch, looked up, and fired it easily past Ri Myung Guk to put them one up.
31 min - Ji Yung Nam attempts a shot that is nowhere near goal, and consequently, Portugal break promisingly with Simao on the right. He carries the ball a few yards, before playing in a cross that Hugo Almeida would have had to be at least nine feet tall to contemplate reaching.
34 min - That goal, which was superb yet simple, has jolted North Korea a little, and Portugal are having a decent spell of possession, creating a couple of half-chances but nothing of note.
36 min - Portugal are looking an entirely different side than the one that held Ivory Coast, passing quickly and making neat little runs a la their rivals in the next game.
39 min - Pedro Mendes is booked, rightly, for an awful late challenge just outside the box. Korea have a free kick in a decent position, but Pak Nam Chol's shot is bravely blocked by Ricardo Carvalho. And by bravely blocked, I mean it hits him squarely on the face. That looked painful.
42 min - Portugal are playing very positively here, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Coentrao causing all kinds of problems for the Koreans down the left. First, they linked up well before Ronaldo shot wide, and then, a couple of moments later, Coentrao played in a wonderful low cross that was begging to be tapped in but somehow went past everyone and out.
44 min - Portugal have dominated the last few minutes here, playing a number of impressive crosses in, and passing effectively before Cristiano loses it on the left, then runs into the back of Cha Jong Hyok and appeals for a free kick, which he does not get.
HALF TIME - Portugal 1-0 North Korea
So a very entertaining half is brought to an end by the referee, and it has to be said that, despite a nervy first twenty minutes where the Koreans created a few decent chances, Portugal have taken the game by the scruff of the neck and dominated since that goal.
Raul Meireles has been excellent all half, making darting runs into the box that have often set him up in good positions, and the second half should be a very open affair as well.
The pouring rain is certainly affecting the game as well, and with a 1-0 scoreline things could always turn around. Do join us for the second period in a few moments...
Peep! We're off again! No substitutions at half-time as the 2nd period kicks off. Portugal start promisingly, with Ronaldo sprinting down the left before centering it to Tiago, whose shot was very good but palmed over by Ri Myung Guk. Portugal have a corner.
47 min - The corner is poor, and allows the Koreans to break. Ahn Hyak takes a low driven shot after some decent passing, but it is straight at Eduardo. Then, at the other end, a Korean defender loses out to Tiago, who centers it for Ronaldo, but his first time shot is miles over the bar and quite possibly, gone into orbit.
50 min - This is really open stuff, Korea win a free kick at the edge of the box. Jong Tae Se works a powerful, low shot but Eduardo does well to get down and save. Then, at the other end, Ronaldo frees Coentrao down the left, and his cross finds Almeida, who is unable to get the shot away under pressure.
GOAL!!! Portugal 2-0 North Korea (Simao Sabrosa 52')
It's a wonderful goal again from the Portuguese. Miguel, just inside the Korean half, swept a long pass to Meireles on the edge of the box; he chested it off to Almeida, received the return and then slid a lovely angled through ball to Simao, who was entirely open on the right hand side and slid it calmly past the keeper. Joga Bonito indeed!
GOAL!!! Portugal 3-0 North Korea (Hugo Almeida 56')
Another one! Portugal are doing brilliantly here, another quick break produces another sensational goal. Tiago found Coentrao on the left, and the full back sprinted brilliantly past his marker before playing in a lovely cross that was headed in by Almeida, no trouble at all.
59 min - Portugal are dominant here, and there's certainly a hint of more to come from them.
GOAL!!! Portugal 4-0 North Korea (Tiago 61')
This is getting messy for the North Koreans. After receiving a nice through ball from Meireles, Ronaldo sprints down the left and plays in a low cross to Tiago at the edge of the box. The midfielder hits a good first time shot that the diving Ri Myung Guk got a hand to, but it was not enough, and the Portuguese are running riot here.
64 min - That was very, very nearly a 5th goal. Ronaldo was in all kinds of space on the right and played in an absolutely beautiful pass into the path of the onrushing Raul Meireles, who was in on goal but shot it just wide. Thrilling stuff from the Portuguese.
66 min - After a nice lay off from Hong Yong Jo, Kim Kum Il blasts a left-footed shot a few yards over from the edge of the box.
68 min - Portugal are truly playing wonderful football here. For the umpteenth time, Cristiano and Coentrao link up on the left, and Ronaldo slips a wonderful ball to put the latter through, but his chip is just wide.
71 min - Ronaldo hits the bar! That's two games in a row now! He came infield from the left, past a couple of defenders and then cracked a stunning, dipping shot across goal that rammed off the top of the woodwork.
73 min - Portugal have been brilliant here. Tiago plays a great reverse pass to put Ronaldo through on the right, and his low, powerful shot is unconvincingly gathered by Ri Myung Guk on the second attempt.
76 min - Both sides have made all of their substitutions, a fact I failed to mention after gtting caught up in the fluency of Portugal's play. For Portugal, Miguel Veloso is on for Raul Meireles, Liedson comes on for Hugo Almeida, and Duda replaces Simao. For the Koreans, Pak Nam Chol, Cha Jong Hyak and In Guk Mun are replaced by Yong Jun Kim, Kum Il Kim and Song Chol Nam.
GOAL!!! Portugal 5-0 North Korea (Liedson 79')
Liedson scores with his first touch - Coentrao's low cross from the left went straight to Ri Kwang Chon at the near post, but he missed the clearance entirely, and it bounced into the path of Liedson, who hammered it in easily.
83 min - Portugal are absolutely dominant here. They could well have had a couple more, though that last goal was down to a defensive mistake. They are bossing possession now, and the North Koreans look resigned to being well-beaten.
GOAL!!! Portugal 6-0 North Korea (Cristiano Ronaldo 87')
Ronaldo finally gets his goal, after inadvertently juggling the ball on his neck.Liedson stole the ball off a defender and chipped it to Ronaldo, who juggled it off his neck and shoulder before volleying it in. Did he mean that? I doubt it, but it was nice to watch nonetheless.
GOAL!!! Portugal 7-0 North Korea (Tiago 89')
This is getting a bit cruel. The excellent Coentrao crossed from the left edge of the box and Tiago, on the penalty spot, flicked a very accomplished header across goal and into the back of the net, easy as that.
90 min - This is an absolute battering, and Korea will be glad there are only 2 minutes of added time. Its certainly all over, and has been for a while.
FULL TIME Portugal 7-0 North Korea
Quite possibly the performance of the tournament from the Portuguese here - they have been exceptional and wonderfully fluid in attack, and could easily have had a couple more goals. They looked an entirely different team from the one that seemed to have trouble scoring over the past few months, and entirely deserve the win.
Some will argue it was against minnows North Korea, but they fielded the same side that lost just 2-1 to Brazil last week, and Portugal played some wonderful football today. That's all from me, stay tuned for a full match report, player ratings, and much more.