In arguably one of the best games of the World Cup Qatar 2022 thus far, Ghana scored two scintillating goals against Portugal, but fell short of registering a win that would have been Africa’s first in five fixtures on Thursday.Until now, five of the African representatives at the 32nd edition of the mundial have taken to the field, recording a dismal three loses and two barren draws. Despite the loss, the Black Stars became the first African team to score a goal at the Qatar showpiece. The feat impressed many, including their President Nana Akufo-Addo. The 78-year-old veteran politician took to his socials to register his approvals.This one goes out to all the bosses out there ❤️#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/1rYBFtdGhr— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 23, 2022 “Gutsy performance by the Black Stars in today’s match against Portugal. Very proud of the entire team. They live to fight another day, and have shown they have what it takes to mix it up against any team in the tournament. Looking forward to the next game against South Korea,” Addo, who shares a name with Ghana’s coach Otto Addo, said.##NAJAVA_MECA_6834178##In the game played at the temporary 974 Stadium in Rass Abou Aboud, former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo converted a controversial penalty to give the Portuguese the lead in the 65th minute. Though the penalty looked a fair challenge, calls for a VAR review were dismissed.𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗚𝗔𝗟 3️⃣ – 2️⃣𝗚𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗔⚽️ Ronaldo 64’ *pen, Joao Felix 77’, Rafael Leao 79’ | Andre Ayew 72’, Osman Bukari 88’. #BlackStars | #FIFAWorldCup | #TeamGhana | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/BT0mt3pAGa— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) November 24, 2022 Ghana skipper Andre Ayew leveled with a close drive in the 73rd, but two quick goals from João Félix Sequeira and Rafael Leão in the 78th and 80th minutes sealed the win. The Black Stars reduced the deficit through Osman Bukari in the 89th minute, but it was late in the night to salvage at least a point.23-year-old Bukari, who plays for Serbian side Red Star Belgrade, chose to celebrate his goal Ronaldo fashion, attracting criticism from certain quarters, but he offered that he was not being disrespectful to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.”I have noticed my celebration today has generated comments claiming I was disrespectful towards Ronaldo. This is incorrect. I was overcome by the emotion of the moment of scoring for my country on my World Cup debut leading to my celebration.””My upbringing doesn’t permit me to be disrespectful to elders let alone one of my idols. Thanks for your support and we will focus on our next game!”
