Rabat – Portugal and Ghana’s game in Group H of the 2022 FIFA World Cup ended in a 3-2 victory for Portugal, helping them lead their group and solidify their chances of qualifying to the round of 16.
Although Portugal was in control of the game for much of the first half, they failed to produce any goals, and the match entered the break with a 0-0 draw.
It was at minute 65 that star Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty kick for his team, also becoming the first player to ever score in five World Cups.
The decision to award Portugal the penalty was a controversial one however, with saying that Ronaldo was diving and that Ghana did not actually commit a foul. Football fans also called out the refereeing and criticzied the lack of a VAR review before the decision.
“From what I see, the defender touches the ball first and Cristiano leaves his leg behind with a lot of vision and falls,” former Spanish referee Barrenetxea Montero was quoted by Mundo Deportivo as saying.
“It’s not a penalty, it’s excessive to punish Ghana with this action,” he added.
It wasn’t long before Ghana came back, with Andre Ayew slotting the ball past the Portuguese keeper at the 75th minute from a pass from teammate Mohammed Kudus.
Soon after, Joao Felix put Portugal back in the lead at minute 78, with Rafael Leao widening the lead two minutes later.
Ghana’s Osman Bukari managed to close the gap in minute 89, but it was too late for the Black Stars to come back.
Uruguay and South Korea, the other two teams in group H, ended their game earlier today with a 0-0 draw. The victory places Portugal in an early lead as the team aims to make it out of the group stage.
This World Cup is expected to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last, as he approaches retirement age. It was only earlier this week that the Portuguese footballing star parted ways with his English club Manchester United.
