Portugal beat Ghana by 3 goals to 2 in a match full of fun, excitement and history. There was fun to be had as both teams gave us the most closely contested and beautiful match seen so far at the World Cup in Qatar. There was excitement as the Ghanaian team, far inferior in terms of players to the Portuguese, fought against the odds and came close to snatching a point in the dying seconds of the match. And there was history because Cristiano Ronaldo, apart from joining the club of players who have played in five World Cups, is the first player in history to score in five World Cups.
The first half was cold and offered little to the spectator. Control of Portugal, with the occasional chance, but nothing more. The game changed its tone in the second half.
Both teams entered the field of play with a different face, eager to add three points in the standings. The match's incandescence began in the 64th minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty to add another record to his career and establish himself in soccer's Olympus. From then on, it was crazy. Ghana did not give up and in the 73rd minute, Ayew put the score on level terms (1-1).
Not even five minutes later, Joao Félix scored the second goal (2-1) for the Portuguese and, barely 120 seconds later, Rafael Leao extended the score (3-1). But Ghana was still not giving up. Osman Bukari made it 3-2 in the 89th minute. The excitement of the match continued until the final moments, when Spanish-Ghanaian striker Iñaki Williams came close to capitalizing on a mistake by Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
With this win, Portugal tops Group H with three points, followed by South Korea and Uruguay with one point each and Ghana last.
