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Cristiano Ronaldo made history. He scored from the penalty spot the first goal of the match between Portugal and Ghana, becoming the first player to score in five World Cups. A feat that occurred within the framework of a game full of emotions. The match ended 3-2 with a Portuguese victory.
Tears in the eyes and all the spotlights on the ‘7’ of Portugal. Visibly moved, Cristiano Ronaldo sang his country’s anthem in the first match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the fifth in his long soccer career.
Stadium 974 received the match between Ghana and Portugal. With the captain’s band Cristiano entered the field of play looking to strike the first blow towards the dream of giving Portugal a World Cup for the first time in its history.
Portugal started pressing hard near Lawrence Ati-Zigi’s goal, making it difficult for the ‘Black Stars’ to get out with a game.
A few first minutes in which Portugal was close to converting. Two wasted chances by Cristiano prevented the Europeans from taking the lead.
In the 30th minute, the ‘7’ had his first goal cry. One that was quickly diluted when the match referee, the Moroccan Ismail Elfath, whistled a foul by the striker.
Without any goals, the squads had 45 minutes with few emotions.
But the best part of the game was about to begin. The fans present at the 974 stadium were able to witness five goals in the second half of the match. And Cristiano had revenge.
The forward was knocked down in the area and the judge did not hesitate to decree that there was a penalty. The Portuguese took the ball and starred in a scene many times seen in recent years. He launched with hierarchy from the penalty spot a shot impossible to save for Ati-Zigi.
A historic goal. The ‘7’ became the first footballer to score in five World Cups.
But far from lowering its guard, Ghana counterattacked. Mohammed Kudus took possession of the ball and, after overflowing the Portuguese defense, filtered a pass that was taken advantage of by André Ayew, who equalized the score in the 73rd minute.
In a game of comings and goings, and of very high intensity, the Portuguese managed to reverse the result. First with a goal from Joao Félix in the 77th minute after a counterattack by those led by Fernando Manuel Costa.
“A dream, in my first game in a World Cup, to score right away, is something we have always dreamed of since we were children,” said the Atlético de Madrid player.
Later, with a great shot from Rafael Leao, Portugal scored the goal that seemed to seal the match.
Cristiano Ronaldo was replaced. And from the bench he saw the Ghanaian advance that led to the discount by Osman Bukari in the 89th minute.
The tension inside the stadium increased to see how the refereeing body added 9 more minutes to the game. An oversight by the Portuguese goalkeeper, Diego Costa, was about to declare a final draw for Ghana. But the defense reacted quickly, giving Cristiano Ronaldo’s team their first three points.
Cristiano Ronaldo in Qatar 2022: between records and controversy
Without having touched the ball, Cristiano had already been in the news as part of Qatar 2022. Shortly before the tournament opened, the soccer star declared that he had felt “betrayed” by Manchester United. And when several teams had already made their debut, the number ‘7’ made the spectators’ eyes wander away from the field of play.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner confirmed that his contract with the English team had ended by mutual agreement. The striker played his first game like this without having a contract with a club.
A season with little regularity and many games from the bench cast doubt on his performance in the tournament on an individual level. And the statistics of Portugal’s last appearances in the World Cup questioned the image of the team as a possible favorite.
But this Thursday Cristiano broke a new record and put his name, once again, in the history of football. His goals in five World Cup editions had not been achieved by names like Pelé, Klose or even Messi who was left without scoring in the World Cup in South Africa.
For its part, its selection reversed its numbers against: it had three world premieres without winning.
But the Portuguese will still have to demonstrate their footballing talent against South Korea and Uruguay, leaving behind the disappointment of being left out of the final phase of the League of Nations and their elimination in the round of 16 in Russia 2018.
with EFE
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