AS PORTUGAL DEFEATS GHANA, CRISTIANO RONALDO CREATES WORLD CUP HISTORY
With a 3-2 victory over Ghana at Stadium 974, Portugal began their World Cup campaign with a winning start. During this year's World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo has been the focal point and center of attention as the only unattached player. Nevertheless, one record was not enough for him, as the second-half penalty made him the first person to score at five World Cups in a row. The match was leveled by Andre Ayew for Ghana, but two goals in three minutes, from Joao Felix and Rafael Leao, secured Portugal's victory and moved them to the top of Group H, despite Osman Bukari's late goal.
He is the only player to have scored at every FIFA World Cup he has attended, including 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and now 2022. He holds the record for Portugal's goalscorer with 118 goals and is still awaiting the World Cup trophy, but has been a constant for the past 16 years. However, this is more than a Ronaldo-led Portugal squad. The team features one of the strongest squads in the tournament with the likes of Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes, and Joao Cancelo all starting for Fernando Santos and Rafael Leao contributing off the bench.
A miserable first period was witnessed as Ghana contained Portugal, although glimpses of promise were evident from the African team. The midfield of Ghana was brilliantly provided by Mohamed Kudus, but Ghana was sloppy at times during the transition and provided Portugal with several opportunities to score. At half-time, we were level, but the second half would see us score some goals. A break through the midfield by Kudus led to a shot that was wide as Ghana began to push forward. However, Alidu Seidu was very fortunate to be able to remain on the pitch when Ghana was reduced to ten men. When he was shown a yellow for a foul, he pushed his head into Joao Felix's face, which could have been interpreted as a straight red by another referee.
Ronaldo went down in the penalty area just after the hour mark after a soft challenge. It was not overturned by VAR, and Ronaldo stepped up to convert the penalty kick. Portugal appeared to have sealed all three points with that penalty. However, Ghana did not give up. Once again, Kudus found himself in space in the box after moving further forward. Suddenly, the game was level when Andre Ayew stabbed the ball home from close range. The Ghanaians appeared to lack confidence until they conceded a goal. However, they possess a high degree of attacking quality, and they became the first African team to score in this competition. It did not take Portugal long to find another equalizer once they were level. It was the result of a defensive mistake that Joao Felix was able to get in and he found a wonderful finish to put Portugal 2-1 ahead. The gut-wrenching punch ended Ghana's hopes.
The third goal was scored by Rafa Leao moments later. After just coming onto the pitch, he made a wonderful run and was found by Bruno Fernandes, who then placed the ball into the far corner. Although it was Milan's first international goal, the scoring was not complete. In the nine minutes to go, Ghana went all out in an attempt to equalize after Osman Bukari scored from a cross. Ronaldo's 'SUI' celebration in the corner was not quite reached by the rush, but he did it nonetheless, having been replaced by the Portuguese legend. As Diogo Costa rolled the ball out, Inaki Williams slipped at the crucial moment, having surprised the keeper with his presence. Ultimately, Ghana's efforts were not enough, but they showed great resilience.
By Rashmi Goel
