WorldRonaldo Makes World Cup History, Portugal Beats Ghana 3-2

Ronaldo Makes World Cup History, Portugal Beats Ghana 3-2


DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and then made World Cup history.

The Portugal striker became the first male player to score at five World Cups with his 65th-minute penalty in a 3-2 win over Ghana on Thursday.

Days after his contract was terminated at Manchester United following a tell-all interview, he let his soccer do the talking at the start of likely his final World Cup.

“This was a beautiful moment,” Ronaldo said. “The world record, the only player to score in five World Cups, makes me very proud.”

Wheeling away after the ball struck the back of the net to give Portugal a 1-0 lead, a smiling Ronaldo performed his usual leap and swivel in the air — the crowd roared his trademark “SI-UUU” as he did the pirouette — before getting mobbed by teammates.

He has now scored in every World Cup since his first in 2006, when a penalty against Iran started his run of goals in the tournament that’s now up to eight in 18 matches. He has a men’s record 118 international goals.

“I think Cristiano is a phenomenon, a legend,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “In 50 years, we will continue to talk about him.”

His latest scoring record adds to the luster of a resume that should ensure Ronaldo receives plenty of offers from new clubs after splitting with United on Tuesday. That came after he gave an unauthorized interview to Piers Morgan criticizing the manager, owners and his teammates at the English club.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, up, falls over Ghana's goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi during the World Cup group H soccer match between Portugal and Ghana, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, up, falls over Ghana’s goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi during the World Cup group H soccer match between Portugal and Ghana, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

His fraught buildup to the tournament didn’t appear to affect Ronaldo against Ghana, even though he wasted two clear-cut chances in the first half.

“It was a week that finished this chapter (with United),” Ronaldo said. “It is closed and now I want to start with the good foot forward. We started, we won, I want to help my team and all the rest does not matter.”

Ronaldo ended the match with his head in his hands in pure relief after Ghana almost snatched a draw in the ninth minute of stoppage time thanks to a piece of ingenuity.

In the last action of the game, Ghana striker Inaki Williams hid behind Diogo Costa as the Portugal goalkeeper rolled the ball on the ground and prepared to clear it. Williams dispossessed Costa and, despite slipping, managed to poke the ball toward goal.

Portugal defender Danilo raced back and cleared the ball away from near the line as Ronaldo, who was sitting in the dugout after being substituted, watched in disbelief.

All the goals came in a wild final half-hour, with Andre Ayew equalizing for Ghana eight minutes after Ronaldo converted his penalty after tumbling under a challenge by Mohammed Salisu.

Ghana coach Otto Addo called the penalty “a special gift from the referee.”

Joao Felix regained the lead for Portugal in the 78th minute following a through-ball by Bruno Fernandes, who then set up Rafael Leao to add a third. Osman Bukari reduced Ghana’s deficit in the 89th, celebrating in comical fashion by performing Ronaldo’s “SI-UUU” twirl.

None of the five African teams at the World Cup won their first match in the group stage. Ghana lost, like Senegal and Cameroon, while Tunisia and Morocco drew their games. “They didn’t win but I saw they can compete with the opponent,” Addo said. “I hope we can improve.”

Inaki Williams made his first competitive start for Ghana, a day after his brother, Nico, came on as a substitute for Spain in a 7-0 win over Costa Rica. Inaki Williams switched allegiance this year from Spain to Ghana, which is the country where his parents were born and left decades ago while his mother was pregnant with him.





Original Source Link

Latest News

Chocolate eggs and bunnies are more expensive than ever

Shoppers may get a bitter surprise in their Easter baskets this year. Chocolate eggs and bunnies are more expensive than...

Mandiant: Yevgeny Prigozhin-linked online influence operations are active months after his death in August 2023, and underwent subtle shifts in their targeting (Dustin Volz/Wall...

Dustin Volz / Wall Street Journal: Mandiant: Yevgeny Prigozhin-linked online influence operations are active months after his death...

Stephen Colbert Rips Apart The Trump Bible Con

Stephen Colbert took apart Trump’s selling of Bibles con by pointing out Trump is charging $60 for writing...

‘Richly decorated’ Roman villa with ‘curse tablets’ and tiny axes unearthed in England

A "remarkable" Roman villa complex unearthed by archaeologists in England contains miniature axes and other artifacts that may...

Apartments, hotel rooms planned for site on Aurora

The developer acquired the property in August, demolishing a vacant home and duplex to make way for the...

Must Read

- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you