The biggest sporting event in the world continues with the Group H Portugal v Ghana clash that should give Cristiano Ronaldo a full game for a change and a rare chance to shine this season.
With so many games and so little time, our Group H Portugal v Ghana Match Centre tries to sum it all up as quickly as possible before and after the game and with just a hint of cynicism. If you wanted professional and/or good you’d be on the BBC website, not here. Essentially, we watch and follow the game so you don’t have to.
With answers to the key questions prior to the match and our Minutes that Mattered summary and stats post game, it is a real Who Cares guide to the 2022 World Cup for the person on the go.
Enjoy the Group H Portugal v Ghana Match Centre.
KICKOFF – THURSDAY 24TH NOV – 19:00 (QATAR) 16:00 (UK) 03:00 (AEDT)
Group H Portugal v Ghana Match Review
Portugal just hang on to beat Ghana 3-2 after a scoreless first half.
Minutes that Mattered
Welcome to the briefest of match summaries, like a minute by minute you find on professional websites except one that has only the minutes that matter. All wheat, no chaff.
And if the below isn’t enough, for those in Australia you can catch up via the SBS World Cup on Demand.
2’ Min – A player is rolling around after a tackle involving Cristiano Ronaldo and it isn’t Ronaldo the one rolling around.
4’ Back to the Football and Portugal have an early corner for a result of little consequence. But hey, it is something to write about in the early stage. Surely with the team Portugal have named this won’t be a 0-0. Those midnight 0-0 games are killers.
6’ Min Portugal are all over Ghana early, like a security officer in Qatar is onto anything with more than three colours. Even when Ghana get the ball they get no time.
9’ Min Ghana go on a rare attack, a crossed ball from the wing into the box is easily taken by the Portuguese keeper, but it’s a start.
10’ Min A better chance for Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo. A lost ball inside their own half from Ghana ends up in the path of Ronaldo who is shut down by the oncoming Ghana keeper. A softer first touch means he probably scores that.
13’ Min Ronaldo goes close again. A floating ball comes his way and he floats the way only he can do. The thing he couldn’t do was put the shot on target. It sailed wide of the posts.
25’ Min We’re not actually ignoring you or the game. Although who could blame us with a 2am kick off. But nothing much is happening right now. We’re just saving our energy for the goal tush later that is surely coming. Although if you see Joao Felix’s 28th minute shot attempt you’ll see why we aren’t noting everything.
31’ Min Cristiano Ronaldo puts the ball into the back of the net, but it is disallowed for a foul by Ronaldo in the lead up. 50-50 and a bit unlucky. Ronaldo chasing scoring at a fifth World Cup. He’ll get there this one surely in one of the three matches.
34’ Min A free kick opportunity for Portugal goes awry, still not sure how Portugal haven’t scored.
37’ Min Ghana get a corner, that mixes it up a bit then. What price they nail their first big opportunity? Nope.
45’ Min Still not sure how Portugal haven’t scored in this first half. More from a point of possession and half chances offered, not necessarily any great shooting on goal. They may regret it in the second half, so we could be looking at another huge upset.
HALF TIME – PORTUGAL 0 GHANA 0
51’ Min Yes we’re still here, we may have had a nap at half time but woke up in time to continue our minutes that mattered. You may argue that this one doesn’t really and fair enough. When something happens we’ll be back.
54’ Min Ronaldo has makes a break down the left and has a reasonably weak shot on goal. Perhaps once he gets this goal scoring record at five World Cups he may obsess less about scoring. Ghana go down the other end and almost score themselves. The game is slowly opening up, so how about a goal for the effort.
57’ Min A scuffle has broken out in the middle of the field between Joao Felix and Alidu Seidu. Felix gets a Klinsmann Trophy for his dive after the tackle by Seidu. But then Felix and Seidu confront each other and the Ghana player makes the slightest of head to head contact with Felix. Of course Felix drops to the deck like he has been put in a hurt lock by Hulk Hogan. It’s pretty pissweak and that’s the World Cup for you.
That and no beer or rainbows. Actually, going forward on that is the quote ‘Life’s not all beer and skittles’? Given that the sweet Skittles are rainbow coloured, you could asl say that Qatar is not beer or skittles either.
62’ Min PENALTY TO PORTUGAL
Ronaldo is charging into the box and Ghana’s Salisu barges into him and looks like a leg is involved, other than the ones used for running, and looks like the penalty stands. Ronaldo steps up to take the penalty, of course he does with that 5 World Cup stat awaiting……
GOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLL FOR PORTUGAL
Cristiano Ronaldo scores and is the first player to score at five different World Cups. He buries the penalty to the left, which is lucky because the keeper went that way too.
PORTUGAL 1 GHANA 0
73’ Min GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL FOR GHANA
Not long after Mohammed Kudus’ shot gave Portugal a fright, he went on a run down the left and his cross deflected slightly off a Portugal defender and fell into the path of Andre Ayew who taps the ball in for a sensational goal in the context of the game. May be say with just a little cheek – many kudos for kudus? Of course we can.
PORTUGAL 1 GHANA 1
76’ Min Riddle me this, why after just scoring and equalising against Portugal would you take off the two people that created/scored the goal. Ghana do and it’s madness. Surely you’re not going to try to hold off Portugal for 20+ minutes and keep 1-1.
77’ Min GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLL FOR PORTUGAL
And it’s Joao Felix who looks like he has recovered well from his horror head injury to put Portugal back on top. Felix’s finish was composed under pressure pushing it across the face of the Ghana keeper. The play set up with a fine assist from Bruno Fernandes.
PORTUGAL 2 GHANA 1
80’ Min GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL FOR PORTUGAL
Portugal really do break the hearts of Ghana with a quickfire second goal in three minutes. Bruno Fernandes picks up the ball on the halfway line and he charges towards the Ghana goal. Fernandes has a choice of players to pass to as he approaches the penalty area, he goes left to Rafael Leão who looks offside but isn’t, and Rafael Leão slots the goal on a tight angle to make it 3-1.
PORTUGAL 3 GHANA 1
83’ Min Joao Felix goes down again, and seems determined to win the Klinsmann Trophy for best overreaction to the slightest contact. Ironically, Fleix looks like he may injure himself more from the theatrics than the actual moment of “assault”.
87’ Min GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL FOR GHANA
Now this gets interesting again. Ghana’s Osman Bukari is all alone in the box and when the perfect cross is sent into the box Bukari does the job with his head and Ghana breathe some life into this game again.
PORTUGAL 3 GHANA 2
90’ Min Nine minutes of added time displayed. We guess the scuffle that broke out not long after Ghana’s second goal doesn’t help. That ended in a stern talking to and a yellow card a piece for the teams.
90′ +7 Min In between the time wasting from Portugal Ghana have half a chance to score as Osman Bukari takes a pot shot that clears the crossbar.
90′ +9 Min WOW. Ghana go so close to snatching an equaliser as Ghana striker Williams is behind the Portugal keeper who is unaware of Williams and puts the ball on the ground and the Ghana striker steals the ball and kicks it towards the goal, but the goal is saved by a clearance off the line from a Portuguese defender racing back. What drama to end. What a second half.
Final Score
PORTUGAL 3
Cristiano Ronaldo 62′ Joao Felix 77′ Rafael Leão 80′
GHANA 2
Andre Ayew 73′ Osman Bukari 87′
HT 0-0
Player of the Match
Bruno Fernandes
Points of Interest
-
- There have been some great looking kits at the 2022 World Cup, but sorry to say the Portugal one is the worst of the lot.
- Gotta love a game with African supporters. Makes that atmosphere just that little bit better. Loads of music and signing and usually bright colours.
Group H Portugal v Ghana Match Stats
Group H Portugal v Ghana Starting Teams
TEAM (4-3-3)
22 Meireles da Costa
20 Cancelo
4 Rúben Dias
13 Danilo
5 Guerreiro
10 Bernardo Silva
18 Neves
25 Otávio
8 Bruno Fernandes
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
11 Félix Sequeira
TEAM (5-3-2)
1 Ati-Zigi
26 Seidu
18 Amartey
23 Djiku
4 Salisu
17 Baba
5 Partey
20 Kudus
21 Abdul Samed
10 A Ayew
19 Williams
Group H Portugal v Ghana Match Preview
Why should you care?
Cristiano Ronaldo is probably a big reason to care. Better on the field than some moaning interview with Piers Morgan.
But Portugal offer so much more than one player. They have a wide range of attacking players, and a very solid defence, almost a perfect squad for a big World Cup run.
There is another side playing and that is Ghana, a World Cup regular. <Checks data> Well, except for the last one in 2018.
Who should you care about?
In saying that Portugal are more than one player, of course the player to watch is Cristiano Ronaldo. Will he offer up brilliance that leads Portugal to glory, or more strop and bring the team down. Sure, nothing will be his fault if the balls go astray and he doesn’t score, and that’s why he’s box office for players to watch.
Another player to watch is one we’ve been waiting to see the best from for years – Joao Felix. It’s hard to shine sometimes playing for Atletico Madrid, so for Portugal among some great attacking colleagues he might finally get a chance to shine.
For Ghana it would be asy to have either or both of the Ayew brothers as the players to watch, but we’ll for Iñaki Williams for something a little different.
Full 2022 World Cup Squads & Stats
Is there a barely interesting fact?
The last time Ghana met a European nation at the World Cup it was against Portugal and they lost 2-1.
Portugal have met one African team in each of the last four World Cups. Their record is W3 D1.
Who will win?
Portugal 3 Ghana 0
Full 2022 World Cup Predictions
