Doha: Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo put all the off-field worries surrounding Manchester United to rest as he scored an opening goal in the 3 2 win over Ghana in the Group H match at the Stadium 974 in Doha on Thursday evening.
After a barren first half, the second half produced five goals with Ronaldo opening the scoring for Selecao de Quinas.
Ronaldo scored from the spot 20 minutes into the second half thus becoming the first man to score in five World Cups.
The Ghanians refused to throw in the towel and bounced back with a goal from A. Ayew in the 73rd minute.
The joy was short lived as Felix got his name on the scorers’ list five minutes later giving Portugal the lead, making it 2-1.
Two minutes Portugal struck again this time Leao getting into the thick of action to make it 3 -1 and make it difficult for Ghana to make a late fightback.
The Africans, however, fought back scoring a goal with one minute left for the normal time through O. Bukari.
Earlier, in the first half Ronaldo’s goal was overuled. The star striker finished quite splendidly with the free kick taken by Bruno Fernandes but the referee blew the whistle to cancel out the goal, much to the protestations of the Portuguese faithful at the stadium.<br> <br>The atmosphere was electric. All eyes were on one man. The man who doesn’t need any introduction. However bigger things were at play.
The crowd erupted as soon as the great man Cristiano Ronaldo took his first touch. Ghana on the other hand were looking to stay in shape and frustrate Portugal. Fernando Santos’ men were trying to play attacking football.
Bruno and Ronaldo’s combination play and Santos’s tactics were under scanner.
Ronaldo spearheaded Portugal’s attack alongside Joao Felix in their opening match while Danilo Pereira joined Ruben Dias in the centre of defence. In midfield, Santos chose an attacking formation with only Ruben Neves as an anchor.
Portugal Goals Ghana
C. Ronaldo 65′ A. Ayew 73′
J. Felix 78′ O. Bukari 89′
R. Leao 80′
–IANS