In one of the most scintillating and action packed World cup matches of the modern era, Portugal barely managed to defeat the menacing Ghanaian team 3-2 in a second half action thriller at the Doha Stadium. The match that went goalless in the first half, saw 5 goals scored between both teams in what was an epic clash between two of the most competitive teams in the tournament.
The match began with both teams creating equal opportunities to score but unable to execute as either of the defensive lineup were too good to be bypassed. Countless efforts to score also made room for countless fouls as players from both sides kept indulging in some aggressive gameplay to assert dominance. While Ronaldo led charge for his team, star players from Ghana including Bukari, Seidu, and Otavio kept rotating their roles to score for the team.
Though pretty competitive, the first half was rather lackluster as neither of the sides were able to score a single goal. The last 15 minutes of the first half saw more fouls than scoring attempts. Perhaps the shortest extra time added so far in the tournament, the referee signaled 3 more minutes to be played after 45, but that didn’t yield any results either as the first half ended goalless for both the teams.
The first 15 minutes of the second half went similar like it ended in the first, but the past 60 minutes is where the real action started. The 65th minute saw the first goal of the match being finally scored. Salisu commits a crucial foul as he takes down Ronaldo in the box which is upheld as a penalty by the ref, much to the dissatisfaction of the Ghanaian players. Ronaldo fired the ball into the coroner of the goal to give Portugal a 1-0 lead.
73 minutes into the game, Ghana scored the equalizer as Andre Ayew directs a long-range assist by Kudus into the Portugal nets as the scores are now levelled. 5 minutes later, Portugal are able to double the lead as Joao Felix scores the second Portuguese goal as he charged in and lobbed the ball over the keeper into the nets. Portugal lead 2-1 after 78 minutes. The Ghanaians were still reeling with the sudden strike by Felix as 2 minutes later R. Leao scored the third one for Portugal. 80 minutes up, and Portugal are leading 3-1.
Ghana have visibly started to regroup as they understand how adverse the situation may become if not acted upon. 89 minutes in, and Osman Bukari does the needful. A long Cross coming in from the left somehow bypasses Danilo Pereira as Bukari collects it and turns it into a goal for his team as Ghana inch closer 3-2. The referee signals 9 minutes of extra time and now the Ghanians have switched into a “Do or Die” mode, trying to make use of every second that is left to equalize or take a lead. But the Portuguese keep things tight, not allowing any loose spots as the final whistle blows, signaling the end of a fantastic encounter. Portugal narrowly scrape past Ghana with a 3-2 victory.
For all the pre and post match information and updates from the FIFA World Cup 2022, stay tuned with 90agency.