Goals from Ronaldo, Felix and Leao were enough to hand Portugal a massive win over Ghana on Thursday. Andre Ayew and Osman Bukari got the consolation for Ghana.
The first half was a miserable affair as Ghana contained Portugal, while the African side showed glimpses of promise.
Mohamed Kudus sparkled in Ghana’s midfield with some wonderful touches, but Ghana were sloppy at times in the transition and gave Portugal several chances to get in front. They went in at half-time level but the second half would finally give us some goals.
Here are five things we learned from the exciting clash.
More creativity is needed
Pass. Pass. Out wide to Baba Rahman. Decent cross. Caught by goalkeeper. Rinse. Repeat.Ghana were just so tame going forward and clearly are crying out for somebody capable of unlocking a defence. Portugal sat deep and allowed Otoo Addo’s side to pass around the back in the second half, safe in the knowledge nothing was actually going to happen. Kudus and Inaki tried on occasions to break through the adhesively tight defence of the Portuguese but their efforts were not enough to trouble them.
Ghana, first African country to score a goal
Before Ghana’s game with Portugal, four African countries had played. Tunisia and Morocco had drawn their games with Cameroon and Senegal losing their respective games. Funnily enough, none of these countries had been able to find the back of the net. Andre Ayew in Ghana’s loss to the Portuguese became the first African player to score at the mundial.
Thomas Partey fails to make an impression
It wasn't all good news for Ghana fans on Thursday with Thomas Partey once again failing to make a meaningful impact. Up against a hard-working Portugal midfield, the Arsenal midfielder failed to find any space but perhaps more worryingly, he failed to make any impact in the area.
Famed for his ability to pop-up with a crucial goal, those late runs into the penalty box which became his trademark last term have all dried up in his recent outings for the Black Stars, and that is a concern for the Ghana faithful. If he was fit, then his performance was dismal and if he played through injury, then, it raises even more questions as to why he lasted the entire duration of the game.
Amartey and Salisu offer hope
Combining technical grace and brute force, Daniel Amartey and Mohammed Salisu can rightly claim to being the very best partnership on the continent. They are the silk and sleek of the Black Stars side, with Amartey the former and Salisu the latter.
Amartey is a calm figure, a smart playing ball-playing central defender who has the elegance to be one of the best in his generation, while Salisu is the enforcer, the man who would take no nonsense and whose aggression, timing, tackling and aerial skills are in a league of their own. The two complements each other and together they offer hope to the new look Black Stars side.
Ronaldo Makes World Cup History
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player in World Cup history to score at five different tournaments.
The 37-year-old put Portugal ahead against Ghana on Thursday as he thundered home a penalty which he won himself, extending his lead as the top scorer in the history of men's international football.
As if he needed another record, Ronaldo has now become the first player to score at five different World Cup tournaments.
Ronaldo was part of a group of five players to have scored at four, alongside Pele, Uwe Seeler, Miroslav Klose and long-time professional rival Lionel Messi, who joined that group earlier this week as he scored for Argentina against Saudi Arabia.
But Ronaldo now stands alone in the record books, having scored at every World Cup since 2006.
His first goal at the World Cup came against Iran in 2006, before he netted against North Korea four years later. Ghana were on the receiving end of a goal from Ronaldo in 2014 before the Portugal international went goal-crazy in 2018.
He bagged a sensational hat-trick against Spain before adding another against Morocco, and his goalscoring streak continues in 2022.
