Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Ghana on Thursday in the first round of Group H at the Qatar World Cup, marking his place in history as the first player to score in five different World Cups.
After a barren first half, the 37-year-old opened the scoring for the 2016 European Champions with a controversial penalty (65). After Andre Ayew equalized for Ghana (73), João Félix put Portugal ahead again (78), with substitute Rafael Leão adding the third goal (80), before Ghana's substitute Osman Bukari reduced the deficit (89). The group also includes Uruguay and South Korea, who drew 0-0, placing the "Seleção" at the top of the group with three points.
Portugal defender Raphael Guerreiro commented on the win, stating, "It's complicated to start a tournament; we controlled the game and then it slipped away from us in two minutes. Fortunately, we start with a win." Regarding speculations about issues among team players, Guerreiro added, "The cohesion is present, and the press is trying to interpret things. We are very united, and we showed that to everyone. If we win the next game, we will qualify, and of course, we will seek to win as always."
Hours after announcing the termination of his contract with Manchester United due to criticizing the club and coach Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo stepped onto the pitch at Stadium 974 as the only forward in coach Fernando Santos' lineup, joining the club of players who have participated in five World Cups alongside his rival, Argentine Lionel Messi, Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, and others like Mexicans Antonio Carbajal and Rafael Márquez, Italian Gianluigi Buffon, and German Lothar Matthäus.
With his appearance on Thursday, Ronaldo also participated in his tenth consecutive major tournament, having played in five European Championships since 2004, becoming the first European player to achieve this. His greatest achievement came with the opening goal from a penalty he won himself, allowing him to find the net in his fifth World Cup, having opened his account with a goal in 2006 and again in 2010 and 2014, before scoring four times in 2018, including a hat-trick against Spain (3-3).
The Portuguese star surpassed Brazilian legend Pelé, who scored in four tournaments (1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970), as well as Germans Uwe Seeler, who scored in the same tournaments as Pelé, and Miroslav Klose (2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014). Ronaldo also boosted his record as the all-time leading international goal scorer with 118 goals in 192 matches, now just one goal away from matching the legendary Eusébio as the top Portuguese scorer in World Cup history, although Eusébio scored all nine of his goals in a single tournament in 1966.
- **A Lackluster First Half and a Fiery Second Half**
Neither side made much impact in the early minutes, with Portugal clearly dominating, although they struggled at times to clear the ball from their area due to the high pressing imposed by Ghana’s coach Otto Addo's team. In Portugal's first real attack on the Ghanaian goal, Ronaldo nearly scored after Mohammed Kudus lost the ball, but goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi intervened brilliantly to save his country (10). Ronaldo then missed another opportunity with a header that went far wide after a precise cross from Raphael Guerreiro (13).
Portugal struggled to reach the goal again, with a Ronaldo goal being disallowed for a foul on a defender before he scored (31). The situation remained unchanged until the end of the first half, which saw Ghana not registering a single shot on target, making them the first team in this tournament to complete a half without any touches in the opponent's penalty area.
Things did not change much in the second half, but the Ghanaians at least tested their luck with a shot from the edge of the area by Mohammed Kudus that went past the left post (55). The breakthrough came for Portugal when Ronaldo won a penalty that the referee awarded against Mohammed Salisu, a decision many Ghanaian players contested, but Moroccan-American Ismail Elfath stood by his call, allowing "CR7" to convert successfully (65).
However, the joy was short-lived, as Ghana equalized through Andre Ayew, who received a cross from Mohammed Kudus that Raphael Guerreiro failed to intercept, finishing it in the net (73). Just as Portugal suffered, the Ghanaians didn’t celebrate for too long either, as the 2016 European Champions regained their lead through João Félix after an assist from Bruno Fernandes (78), who also assisted the third goal scored by substitute Rafael Leão following a quick counter-attack (80).
Immediately after Ronaldo was substituted for Gonçalo Ramos, Ghana reduced the deficit again with a header from substitute Osman Bukari after a mistake on the right side by João Cancelo, celebrating in the style of the Portuguese star (89).
