Portugal 2-1 defeat of Ghana not enough
BRASÍLIA (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo wasted a succession of glorious chances as Portugal bowed out of the World Cup on Thursday despite beating Ghana 2-1 in Brasilia.
Portugal knew only a win combined with a defeat for Germany or the United States in the other Group G fixture, plus a significant swing in goal difference, would take them through to the last 16.
Germany won the group with a 1-0 win over the US, who also qualified on goal difference over Portugal.
Although Ronaldo netted his first goal of the tournament, the winner, it was his numerous misses that cost Portugal the sizeable victory they needed to make up for the 4-0 mauling they suffered by Germany in their first game.
“The match today was a match we tried to win and we did win. We created many opportunities but we could not finish them all,” said a disappointed Ronaldo, who won the man-of-the-match award.
“We knew we had to score three goals and we were depending on the result of the Germany game.
“We knew it was complicated but what’s left at the end shows that it was possible considering the number of opportunities we created during the game.
“We deserved more but that’s how football is. We can hold our heads up high. We tried our best but couldn’t do it.”
Portugal had taken the lead through a John Boye own goal before Asamoah Gyan equalised.
The Europeans broke the deadlock after half an hour with an own goal by the unfortunate Boye, who diverted a cross by Miguel Veloso off his knee and over despairing goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda.
The move that led to the goal started when the ball hit the referee in the middle of a promising-looking attack by Ghana, missing two of their star players after bust-ups with management.
Sulley Muntari is accused of attacking a member of the management team while Kevin-Prince Boateng is said to have verbally abused national team coach Kwesi Appiah, the GFA said on its website.
Ronaldo, who last month helped Real Madrid to a 10th Champions League title, had already come close to scoring on a number of occasions before the first goal.
After a scrappy opening few minutes he picked the ball up wide on the right and hit a wayward cross that sailed over Dauda only to come back off the crossbar.
He then tried his luck with a free-kick from 25 yards in a central position which Dauda beat away.
