Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to score in five World Cups, propelling Portugal beat Ghana 3-2 on the fifth day of the World Cup in Qatar.
The 37-year-old struck a 61st-minute penalty to put Fernando Santos’ side ahead in the Group H encounter at Doha’s 974 Stadium, with the striker keen to show off his skills to potential new clubs after one acrimonious split this week with Manchester United.
Portugal’s advantage didn’t last long, with Ghana captain Andre Ayew leveling his side in the 73rd minute, scoring the first goal for an African side at this year’s tournament.
Loud Black Stars fans erupted in joy after watching their team fail to fire a single shot in the first 45 minutes.
But the jubilant scenes were short-lived as Portugal turned up the pressure with Joao Felix and Rafael Leao scoring twice in the next seven minutes to make it 3-1 in the 80th minute.
Any hopes Portugal had of a comfortable march to victory were dashed, however, by Ghana’s Osman Bukari, who made it 3-2 in the 89th minute.
A tense nine minutes of extra time followed, but Portugal hung on to take three points and go top of the group.
Portugal will be next in action on Monday against Uruguay. Ghana face South Korea on the same day.
Brazil opened their World Cup campaign in style with Richarlison powering the tournament favorites to a 2-0 win over Serbia at the Lusail Stadium.
The 25-year-old striker scored just after the first hour of the Group G match and added a spectacular second goal soon after in the 73rd minute.
Serbia, who had offered fierce resistance for the first two thirds of the match, were left to chase the shadows as the Brazilian players closed the ball and staged regular raids on their opponents’ box, underlining their credentials as most dangerous team in the competition. .
But there were concerns over star striker Neymar.
The 30-year-old helped the Selecao win the 2013 Confederations Cup and their first Olympic gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games, but he limped out of action against Serbia in the 80th minute after received a blow to the right ankle.
Neymar has had problems with that foot before and the Paris St Germain player sat on the bench with his face covered as he received treatment for the rest of the game.
Brazil’s win puts them top of Group G, followed by Switzerland.
The South American giants, who are looking for a sixth World Cup victory, will face Switzerland on Monday. Serbia will face Cameroon on the same day.
Uruguay and South Korea kicked off their World Cup campaigns at the Education City Stadium in Doha with a quick game that ended in a goalless draw.
Despite the absence of goals, the atmosphere in the stadium was electric, with South Korean fans playing drums throughout the match.
Uruguay – known as La Celeste – came closest to the goal when Diego Godin hit the post with a header in the first half. Federico Valverde hit the post again in the 89th minute with a long-range effort.
South Korea also had plenty of chances and will be frustrated that Hwang Ui-jo couldn’t do more after going unmarked in the 37th minute.
Playing at Al Janoub Stadium, Switzerland edged out a spirited Cameroonian side in their Group G gamemaintaining their unbeaten record in their first World Cup matches.
Striker Breel Embolo scored the winning goal for Switzerland in the first half.
The 25-year-old was born in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, but moved to Switzerland with his family and became a Swiss citizen shortly after his 18th birthday.
After scoring, Embolo raised his hands in apology as his teammates celebrated around him. He pointed to the Swiss fans behind the goal where he had scored, then to the Cameroonian fans in the opposite corner of the stadium.
Cameroon were the better team in the first half, while Switzerland rallied in the second.
After their 1-0 victory, Switzerland are due to face Brazil on Monday, while Cameroon will face Serbia.
Off the pitch:
Social Media Sensation
Abubakr Abbass, a 23-year-old Kenyan, has become a fan favorite – and an accidental social media sensation – in Qatar.
Sitting on a tennis umpire’s chair and wearing a big foam finger, he guides the hundreds of fans visiting the historic market, called Souq Waqif, to the nearby metro station using his trusted megaphone.
His valuable advice,Subway? This way. Subway? This way“, has now become a slogan.
“I saw him on TikTok. I thought it was great fun. He makes me laugh; it’s such a simple task,” said a young fan wearing a Chelsea football shirt.
Fake video about Ukrainian fans
Al Jazeera said a video attributed to the news network and circulating on social media was fake.
The video claims that three ‘drunk’ Ukrainian football fans were arrested and also spread ‘Nazi symbols’ in Doha.
“The video in question is completely fake and Al Jazeera has never released any news related to this story,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.
The video’s main message about “Ukrainian Nazis” echoes pro-Russian misinformation circulating on the internet.
“The basic Russian export narrative is the allegedly ‘Nazi’ character of Ukraine’s political regime,” Kyiv-based analyst Aleksey Kushch told Al Jazeera.
The claims “serve as a justification for war both to [a] domestic [Russian] public and for foreigners [audiences]said Kushch.
While Ukraine has far-right, ultra-nationalist and white supremacist groups, their current influence on Ukrainian political life is limited.