Portugal 3 – 2 Ghana
Portugal led 3-2 in full time
Goals:
1-0 Ronaldo 65′ penalty
1-1 A. Ayew 73′
2-1 Joao Felix 78′
3-1 Rafael Leao 80′
3-2 Bukari 89′
After Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals were equalized by Andre Ayew, Rafael Leao and Joao Felix scored just one goal in a row in Portugal’s 3-1 win over Ghana in the Group H clash at the 974 Stadium. Ronaldo won a penalty and made no mistake as he became the first player to score. in five different World Cups. Portugal’s joy was short-lived, however, when Andre Ayew scored for Ghana. Ronaldo had two early starts but was unable to find the back of the net. Ronaldo had the ball in the net but the goal was ruled out for a foul on the Ghana defender. It was announced late Tuesday that the 37-year-old was leaving United “with immediate effect” after he said in a candid interview with the British broadcaster that he felt “betrayed” by the club and disrespected manager Eric Ten Hague. His club form has been poor this season but he is still hoping for one last shot at the World Cup and Portugal are expected to start with a win at the 974 Stadium on Doha’s seafront against Ghana, 61st in the FIFA rankings. Portugal manager Fernando Santos said Ronaldo’s departure from United had not been discussed by the players
Portugal vs. Ghana live SCORE & Updates:
89 minutes: Goal! Out of nowhere Ghana had a back, Baba Rahman’s tenacity paid off down the left and his cross found Ousmane Boukari, who headed home at the far post!
88 min: Two of Portugal’s three top scorers go out as Ronaldo and Joao Felix are substituted in the closing stages.
83 min: Ronaldo breaks free again, charging in front of the defense only to be thwarted by Lawrence Atti-Zigi and flagged for offside.
80 min: Goal! This has to be now! Bruno Fernandes picked up the ball right in his own area and executed the pass perfectly, driving a perfectly weighted pass to Rafael Leao to score his first international goal.
minute 78: Goal! Portugal is back in the lead! Bruno Fernandes saw a gap in the Ghana defense and put Joao Felix on the right flank and the Atletico Madrid striker fired a fine shot past the advancing Lawrence Atti-Zigi.
77 mins: Two changes for Ghana and one for Portugal. Rafael Leao is on for Ruben Neves, while Jordan Ayew and Osman Bukari are on for Ghana.
73 mins: GOAL! Ghana are level now though! And it is Mohammed Kudus at the heart of it, getting down the left and pulling back a cross that nicks off Danilo Pereira and falls perfectly for Andrew Ayew to slot in from close range.
Minute 72: If Ghana come back into the game then Mohamed Quddus will surely be the man most likely to succeed, piercing Diogo Costa’s palm with a wild long-range shot.
68 minutes: Another collection record!
65th minute: goal! Not fault Ronaldo, who shoots international goal number 118 past Lawrence Atti-Zigi! The keeper dived in the right direction, to the right, but his shot was too well placed and straight into the corner.
62 minutes: Penalty for Portugal! Ronaldo fell under Mohamed Salisu’s tackle and the referee pointed to the spot!
58 min: Alidou Seydoux was absolutely furious as he was on the books for the final challenge against Joao Felix. He had to be managed by Daniel Amartey as tempers flared and he was most likely lucky not to receive a second yellow card for his actions after that.
57 min: First change of the night as Ottavio, currently undergoing treatment, makes way for William Carvalho in his third World Cup appearance.
55 minutes: Here Mohamed Quddus moves forward from midfield and shoots a low left-footed shot from 20 yards. Diogo Costa, diving from the left, might have covered it but it was Ghana’s finest moment.
53rd minute: Ghana definitely showed the better offensive power after the second half started, with Mohamed Quddus pushing forward to good effect.
49th minute: Another yellow card and another Ghana player, this time their captain. Ottavio’s clever half-turn kept him clear of Andre Ayew, who responded with a trip well worth booking.
minute 48: Portugal have so far lacked energy and pace; both must be significantly strengthened if life is to make life difficult for Ghanaians.
46th minute: Andre Ayew starts the second half. His Ghana side have felt relatively comfortable so far, though Portugal were hoping to raise a few more questions in the second 45 minutes.
HALF: Almost but not enough for Portugal, who were better in the first half but didn’t want that to happen. It might have been a different story had Ronaldo used one of his good early chances while free agent also had the ball in goal, only to be booked for a foul. In the second half, the speed must be increased.
45 minutes: Mohamed Quddus gets the first yellow card of the night and is on the books for a big challenge on Joao Cancelo. We only have two minutes of added time.
44th minute: The Portuguese full-back became their top attacking threat in the first 45 minutes, with Joao Cancelo playing in a promising low cross that trailed just a few of his attacking players. The Portuguese recovered the ball but Ottavio misplaced the ball and sent it high over the bar.
42nd minute: Portugal was breathless in this first half and Ronaldo summed up his frustration. Here he blocked a shot before accidentally stopping Rafael Guerreiro’s header from Bruno Fernande’s cross.
38 min: A tense first half for Ghana as they won several corners in quick succession but the execution was not the best on both occasions and hopes of a turnaround were ended by the referee’s whistle.
35th minute: Portugal continues to build up the pressure even though Ghana looks relatively comfortable at the back. This last try was typical of their attacks, Ottavio tried a quick try which Lawrence Atti-Ziggy was able to block right away.
31st minute: Ronaldo puts the ball in the goal! Oh, but the whistle soon sounded as a boost was given to his challenge against Alexandre Djiku, giving him a shooting opportunity. It looks like a bump even though it’s so close. Clinical finish as you would expect.
28 min: This is a good chance for Joao Felix but the finish is wild as he sits back and the ball flies harmlessly past him. Manchester City pair Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva successfully combined down the right for the opener.
minute 25: Left-back Rafael Guerreiro is hopeful for Portugal tonight. As much as 60% of their attack was on that wing, compared to 20% in the center and 20% on the right.
min 21: The pattern of play is now fine and well organised, with Portugal dominating the ball and territory. They had 67% possession and four shots on target in the first quarter; Ghana hasn’t released one yet.
17th minute: No way out, or Ronaldo?
13th minute: Another chance and again Ronaldo can’t take it. Portugal took a quick corner and Ghana were caught, Rafael Guerreiro was given space on the left to measure the ball at the far post…where Ronaldo stood tallest only to nod wide!
11 minutes: Had the first chance of the night but Ronaldo’s touch was not what it should have been and Lawrence Atti-Zigy bravely saved his leg. Mohamed Qudus had focused on the ball in midfield and Portugal rushed in, Bruno Fernandes dividing the defense to use Ronaldo.
8th minute: Portugal monopolized possession in the early minutes, threw the ball at will and tried to boost the Ghana defense. No clear points yet, but they have almost 70% possession so far.
5th minute: This was our first try of the game as Ghana failed to clear a corner completely and the ball fell to Otavio just outside the box but the Porto midfielder took the shot and went wide.
2 minutes: You have a pretty good chance. Ronaldo’s first post was a foul, but it turned out the Portugal captain conceded a free kick that was saved on the halfway line.
START: Ronaldo moves the ball and we start from the beginning of Group H.
