Mohammed Kudus and Andre Ayew were standout performers as Ghana came within a whisker of a draw with Portugal before falling 3-2 in their World Cup debut.
What happened in the game?
Kudus was the star of the show, scoring Ghana’s first goal eight minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo had given Portugal the lead after a controversial challenge from Mohammed Salisu.
Ronaldo went down in the area after what appeared to be a 50-50 challenge for the ball, but the referee signaled to the spot, and even Ghana players’ appeals did not persuade him to examine the situation using VAR.
However, Kudus, who had been energetic throughout the game, found himself in space on the left side of Ghana’s attack and brought a pass into the box, which captain Andre Ayew punched home for his 24th goal on his 111th appearance for Ghana.
However, Ghana’s lead lasted only five minutes as Joao Felix made it 2-1 after beating Salisu before being replaced. Rafael Leao scored two minutes later to make it 3-1 after Jordan Ayew threw away possession easily.
After a brilliant cross from Abdul-Rahman Baba, Osman Bukari, who had just come on, headed home Ghana’s second to set up a frantic finish.
Ghana resisted early pressure from Portugal, with goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi stopping a one-on-one from Cristiano as the Black Stars soaked up the pressure in an attempt to prevent their opponents from opening them up.
Ghana coach Otto Addo chose a back five with the purpose of shutting down the Portuguese, and he did just that in the first half as the European side struggled, even if the tactic limited Ghana’s attacking options.
The Black Stars had to wait until the second half for their first attempt on goal, which came from Kudus, who made a tremendous run forward and blasted just wide in the 55th minute before coming near again 10 minutes later.
After his perseverance saw him get inside the area before squaring for Ayew to score, the Ajax player assisted Ghana’s first goal.
Kudus club stats this season
Kudus came into the game in fantastic form for his club, having scored 10 goals and supplied two assists, and he was the Black Stars’ brightest player until he was replaced with 14 minutes remaining.
What this loss means for the Black Stars
Ghana has the talent to compete in their group, which also includes South Korea and Uruguay, but they will need to be daring and avoid common mistakes if they are to advance to the knockout rounds. The Black Stars were more dangerous as they began to attack late in the game, but it proved to be too little, too late.
Ghana’s next fixture
Ghana’s next match is against South Korea on Monday, and they are hoping for a strong result to get their campaign back on track.
