Key points
- Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cups .
- He confidently beat Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi to make history.
- He surpassed Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose as the only male player to score in five separate World Cups.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty in Portugal's opening Group H game against Ghana.
All eyes were on Ronaldo on Thursday following his departure from Manchester United this week and never more so than when he stepped up to take a penalty in the 64th minute after being tripped in the box.
After taking a few deep breaths, Ronaldo confidently beat Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi to make history.
Until then, he had been tied for scoring at four World Cups alongside Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose.
Ronaldo's name in the history books follows that of Brazil’s Marta, who became the first player to score at five different soccer World Cups when she put her team 1-0 ahead in their Group C game against Australia in the women’s tournament in 2019.
The 33-year-old netted a record-extending 16th World Cup goal from the penalty spot after already scoring at the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 tournaments.
On Thursday, the entire Portugal team raced down the touchline to pile on top of Ronaldo, who surpassed Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose as the only male player to find the net in five separate World Cups.
Andre Ayew levelled in the 73rd minute – the first goal scored by an African side at Qatar 2022 – when he finished off a fine run down the left by Mohammad Kudus.
But Portugal re-took the lead four minutes later when a superb pass from Bruno Fernandes split the Ghana defence and Joao Felix cleverly clipped the ball over the goalkeeper.
Two minutes later Portugal substitute Rafael Leao curled in Portugal's third.
Ronaldo received a huge ovation when he was replaced but he had barely sat down when Ghana made it 3-2, substitute Osman Bukari taking advantage of some lax marking to head in.
There was tension at the end, however, as Ghana pulled another goal back with Osman Bukari, appearing unmarked in the box, heading in a cross from the left in the 89th minute, giving a sliver of hope to Ghana's fans behind that goal.
In the nine minutes of added time that followed, Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa failed to see Ghana striker Inaki Williams behind hime when he released the ball inside the box.
But Williams slipped at the crucial moment and Danilo Pereira cleared the ball off the line.
So Portugal survived to move top of Group H and win their opening World Cup match for the first time since 2006.
