'Ronaldo Goal' Portugal Defeats Ghana to Lead Group H

Ronaldo's Eighth Career World Cup Goal

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

In the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, Portugal, which is in Group H with the South Korean national team, took the lead. On the 24th (local time), they won their first Group H match against Ghana 3-2 at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar. They are the only team in Group H to have earned 3 points, moving closer to advancing to the round of 16. Meanwhile, Ghana fell to the bottom of the group with 0 points. The earlier match between South Korea and Uruguay ended in a 0-0 draw.

Portugal dominated the first half but remained goalless. The finishing by Cristiano Ronaldo, who led the attack, was disappointing. In the 13th minute of the first half, his header went wide to the right of the goalpost, and in the 31st minute, a shot that hit the net was disallowed due to a foul committed during a challenge with a defender.

Ronaldo tasted goal only in the second half after Ghana switched to an offensive approach. In the 17th minute of the second half, a penalty kick was awarded after Mohamed Salisu fouled inside the penalty area, and Ronaldo took the kick himself, scoring with his right foot. This was his eighth World Cup goal overall. He became the only player to have scored in every World Cup he has participated in, having played in five tournaments.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Ghana counterattacked centered around Andr? Ayew and leveled the score. In the 28th minute of the second half, Ayew finished with his right foot after receiving a cut-back from Kudus Mohammed, who continued the attack from the left side. Gaining momentum, Ghana substituted Jordan Ayew and Osman Bukari to aim for a comeback. However, before they could reorganize, they conceded consecutive goals, making a comeback unlikely.

The hero who brought Portugal back into the lead was Bruno Fernandes. He took advantage of the loosened Ghanaian defense. During a counterattack opportunity, he delivered penetrating passes to Jo?o F?lix and Rafael Le?o, leading to consecutive goals.

Although substitute Osman Bukari scored a consolation goal in the 44th minute of the second half, there was not enough time to equalize. Ultimately, Ghana failed to earn any points and will face South Korea next. The match will be held at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan at 10 PM Korean time on the 28th.